Fallout Equestria: PeaceMaker
by Sour Note 666
Summary: In a world ravaged by a war two centuries old, a young Villain Must rise above the world he lives in the evil that surrounds him, and his own heritage to break the chains that plunge his Land into despair he must Rise to give Equestria a last chance. it will be pony kind's Darkest hour and for some ponies thier brightest moment. Pain Loss Love Death Forgiveness and Friendship.


Paste your document here...

**FALLOUT EQUESTRIA:**

**PEACE MAKER**

Written by Sour Note Editing by Spiked Grapes and Maple Leaf

Once, in the Magical Land of Equestria we knew peace, but through trivial conflict and the lack of tolerance we eventually escalated into war and with the hate for one another, and the fear that our paranoia created came the mother of all destruction, The Megaspells. There was good and evil on both sides. But now in the wasteland... there are no sides, the war still drags on, the Players are different but the game remains the same. Equestria mourns her children, her tears; our blood. The mistakes of the past warnings to our future, the evidence of ponies time has left behind. The taint and radiation our constant reminders of the evil in pony kind. Only small glimpses of light have kept us going, but even now, the darkness which surrounds us draws ever closer. The conflict now rages for the one of the greatest secrets in Equestria's history and those caught in the crossfire will never be the same. Equestria will never be the same.

CHAPTERS

**1. Unbreakable**

**2. Reflections**

**3. into the fire**

**4. Labyrinths**

**5. Friendship**

**6. The pony in black**

**7. Promises**

**8. The ballad of maple leaf**

**9. Hoofdeep**

**10. IDEA!**

**11. Fortress**

**12. I worship only what you bleed**

**13. Mechanic God Creation**

**14. **

**15. Immortality**

**16. The price we pay**

**17. Sea Foam**

**18. War Ensemble**

**19. The Darkest hour**

**20. Symphony of Destruction**

**21. Justice**

**22. Sympathy for the Devil**

**23. Magic**

**24. Her Lover**

**25. Lessons**

**26. Luna's Regret**

**27. No Gods, no Masters**

**28. Guns of the Patriots**

**29. History of Equestria**

**30. From Royalty to Rags**

**31. Ov Fire & the Void**

**32. Miamore**

**33. No Love Lost**

**34. Canterlot's Treasure**

**35. Conspiring with the damned**

**36. Seek and Destroy**

**37. A Dangerous Game**

**38. This Day**

**39. Words to the wise**

**40. Shadowbolts**

**41. Mistakes**

**42. What I would fight to protect**

**43. Where Silent Gods stand guard**

**44. Crystal Mountain**

**45. Still Alive**

**46. To Reign Again**

**47. Secrets of the Stars**

**48. A Thousand Suns**

**49. Believe**

**50. Peace Maker**

Epilogue

**1. Unbreakable **

_"…another day, another dungeon."_

I vaguely remember my youth, when I was still a pony. I choose to start there because it is the only way you can understand the upbringing that has jaded me, and allowed me to become the monster I am, for no matter how i may try to hide and fix and create, there can never be an equity for what i have taken, and destroyed, i can only hope to compensate ever so slightly to those I have harmed... "I- I'm Sorry... all the magic in the world can't bring you back..."

It came out... if only slightly enough to let me know it had indeed been an artery; I had paid attention to my teacher, if you could call him that. I leaned over the colt as I kept the knife I was pulling out of him in my muzzle. His hooves were dirty from the grime and dirt that we had fought over and bloodied from where he smashed me. Here, in the Wasteland you didn't have time to be clean. The blood sprayed furiously from him, and since he was bigger than me, I had to be careful that I didn't relax my guard until he was no more.

This is what we raiders considered a rite of passage. Your first kill, usually led to getting your Cutie mark, since you sometimes had to get creative. they had gone out, and brought back a large colt, about my age for my rite of passage, at first everyone laughed since he looked so innocent, and although he was larger than me he looked so scared and confused that I didn't take him for a threat, but when he caught hold of his surroundings and became aware of imminent death he came upon me, like a madpony. He stomped me hard, I mean that shit hurt!

I looked side to side as his larger frame pinned me on the ground. I couldn't escape or budge, or push. I could only squirm as blow after blow connected with my head.. I felt the hot drip and flow of my blood across my face, and I could taste the irony filth in my mouth the rust choked my throat and i coughed blood on his face, that stopped him, long enough to reach for a knife I could see out of the corner of my eye. As I turned for it, I gave him my back… and hurled myself towards it. I reached it and bit it. I now needed to turn to him and finish it o- "Hello!" he dropped his full weight on my body and I bit harder into the knife making sure to not let it go

"Geughf auf!" I uttered aloud. Teeth sinking into the handle I could now taste the wood and the blood... great, fucking great, was I going to die like this? Maybe I was a Failure... I'd never be successful … maybe I should just curl up and die like those worthless ponies we steal from... maybe I should become just as weak as them.

"Nhoo!" I spat as I refused to die, I turned as hard as I could and drove the knife into his side, to great effect, he instantly relaxed his hold. That was the point that was the first time I had taken a life. To feel him expire his last breath under me was a feeling like none other. I felt Powerful, almost as if I was undefeatable.

So I repeatedly stabbed him until he bled out. Yeah that's anti-climactic isn't it? Too bad, fuck off, this isn't some cute bedtime story, you just need to know that small tidbit of my life to understand the beginning, the first time. I'm not going to go into explicit detail about how a pony bleeds to death. Soon the High I was on faded and there was nothing left except his Corpse and myself standing over it. Then a feeling like suffocation took hold of me as I felt the Blood dripping from my muzzle and the knife that I spat at my father's feet. I felt cold and it was hard to breathe I felt like the entire Wasteland could see me and I felt ashamed, embarrassed, alone. I could not unsertand all the feelings I felt nor did I want to. It was as if I was being plunged under waves of emotion drowning within myself. I turned to WarSeed desperately.

He neither approved nor reproached; he didn't really seem to notice. He was so doped up on Rage he probably didn't even know where he was now. I simply pointed to the dead colt and yelled.

"EAT DUMBASS!" He savagely leapt forth nearly missing the corpse and began tearing into it, I could hear the tearing of flesh and scraping of bone as he wrenched the foreleg off and gnawed it viciously, whatever kept him from doing that to me was "Okey Dokey, Lokey..." in my book. I trotted away from the quickly closing circle of "pure breeds" as they called themselves… the cannibals in our town, if you could call it that, more like a glorified scrap of tents in the middle of the goddess forsaken desert, the only decoration we had was goddess damned heads fucking stuck on bloody poles, to invite guests...

I walked away as swiftly as I could, I needed to go, I needed to be alone. I couldn't be here but as hard as I may have tried to escape. Here was nowhere, here was now, and now was all in my head.

Not all of us were cannibals. Filthy degenerate murderous thieves, yes, but not cannibals. Don't know why i could never bring myself to that one atrocious act. Why out of all the things I've witnessed, that was where I drew the line.

I stared over them in disgust. Although we were related we were nothing alike. He was the War Pony, the craziest nastiest ugliest pony around, he beat, ate, and raped whatever he could find, and hence I came to being... feel sorry for whatever Mare had to endure my creation.

I had a relatively normal life, ignoring the murder and torture I had to be a part of and endure myself at the hands of all the other estranged and disturbed Bucks and Mares I lived with. I couldn't help but feel like i didn't belong. So I'll admit I was happy when the Enclave showed up and blew the town to Horse apples! Celestia help me I'm getting ahead of myself. I really am lucky that it was the ignorant Enclave that blew our shit up and not the Stable Dweller… now she would've wiped us clean.

After the Rite, all the Mares and Bucks gathered round to see what my cutie mark had turned out to be. I couldn't stand it I was furious, my temper flaring at the looks and stares and laughter. I didn't want this. I wanted to go to sleep and never awake, not to this. Neigh and behold no one could've predicted what happened next, instead of a bloody dagger, or a slit hoof in blood, there on my Flank was a dove mid-flight, a revolver in her talons and blood on her wings... what they didn't notice was the laurel in her beak, a symbol of peace. Surely the goddesses were fucking with me.

"Tomorrow we Hunt!" War Seed bellowed into the crowd; Blood curdling screams followed by yelps of delight was all I could hear. We were disgusting. How was I a part of this?

It was the next day during my first raid, that I met the mare of my dreams. She was a small light blue pony, with a fluorescent turquoise and white lined mane; she looked scared, scared shitless. Since that's what she was sitting in... My father pranced over to her, and bit a chunk off her ear. She screamed in horror, as the sight of her blood on his face overtook her. He beamed those narrowed sharp teeth he had at her, his smile almost as Zebra-Shit crazy as he was.

"P-Pegasus… Tasstesss GOOOOOOD!" he laughed aloud and the other stupid ponies that came with us laughed as well. Fucking idiots... but wait what was that last part? She was a Pegasus? She was beautiful, that's for sure... and what was that on her sides… were those wings?

"Please let me go..." she weakly pleaded to him, the dumb look of satisfaction had not left his blood soaked face. He trotted over to her and lifted his forelegs just enough to buck her in the face. she reeled over and whimpered on the ground, shaking violently as War Seed whipped his Dick out and started pissing on her, yeah dad, piss on the only attractive female we've found… in ... EVER!

"Hey, Asshole!" I bellowed at him, he turned slowly still pissing like a fucking water hose...( I think, I don't know I've never seen a water hose) "Enough War Seed!" he stared at me for what seemed like hours... his dumb wall-eyed expression slowly transfixed on me... A-yup he was on drugs again.

"What the FUCK DID YOU SAY TO ME!?" he screeched at me, his mind finally severed from the retarded dosage of narcotics he had taken, he was so fast and unpredictable and as he charged at me all I could do was let my shotgun finish what my mouth had started, turning the vile creature that had spawned me into a steaming pile of flesh and buckshot. I turned it on another young buck and screamed at him.

"YOU WANNA FUCKING ASK ME QUESTIONS TOO?" I asked my voice breaking from the anger. He shook his head "no? Good." Fuck him. I turned to the little mare. I did my best to distract myself from the drips of my father's blood that occasionally fell from my muzzle to the ground and the smell of his gore at my feet. Her wings lifted her a lot better than her battered legs would be able to. She put her head to my breast and breathed "thank you."

I shoved her into the dirt and yelled "Don't thank me, you dumb bitch! I take what's rightfully mine!" The stupid ponies behind me nodded in agreement... see what did I say they're fucking idiots. She dropped her head to her hooves and cried, I felt guilty for making her cry (but not for stabbing a colt to death?) and kicked her "now move, unless you want me to rape you here and let these nice ponies watch!" she immediately got up, still crying , only a lot softer, and with much more resignation.

The other ponies had begun walking their way back to town. I told them I was going stay here and enjoy her as long as I could before I wasted her. They agreed, and whined about not being able to stay and enjoy the show.

I'm glad they didn't.

I sighed relief as I walked over to her, she dropped limp, and began crying again. Uttering the same nonsense.

"P-Please, please. noo... please, don't do it... please..." she cried and drooled all over the floor; fear becoming the only emotion she could express. She squirmed locking up as I finally put my hoof on her shoulder.

"Stop crying, you foal! I'm not going to rape you... just shut up already..." she didn't believe me, and kept stiff, silent sullen, afraid. i didn't know how to get her to stop, i didn't care about her, i just wanted her to stop. I don't know why. But this... this wasn't good? I leaned on her and finally put myself on top of her, this was when she really locked up stiff as a statue preparing her for the worst... but it never came, i hugged her. Softly as i took more than a score of minutes for me to feel her relax her muscles, and fade into sleep. i could see the shadow of a smile on her face. I was pleased with this and slept myself.

I woke her in time to catch one of the first sunrises the wasteland had ever offered me.

She said that the sunrises from the cloud cities were even more breathtaking than this. I could only imagine. She snuggled up to me warmly, and I relaxed at her touch. When she pounced on me, and began pinching my stomach. I twisted and turned trying to get her off me but she was amazingly agile.

"OWWW! FUCK! OWW WHAT THE HAY!?" I yelled

"That's what you get for pushing a lady into the dirt."

She then came up to me, uncomfortably close, staring into my eyes. Her deep pink eyes melted into me. And I could feel the warmth of the sunlight on us. It was so intense. Wait that wasn't the sun…

That was me, I was… I looked down. OH, that's what that was.

But then I looked at her and I could see her soul through her eyes, she was lost and so was I. I didn't know what to say I felt so many things at once. But I couldn't tell any of them. Her gaze was burning me alive inside, when I saw my reflection in her eyes, and realized I was looking at her the same way. I put my hoof on her face lightly and stroked her hair slowly I bent forward, by a power beyond my own.

I kissed her. And she kissed me back.

I leaned forward farther, pinning her to the ground. She looked so beautiful from here, just lying there looking up at me longingly.

"Is this what you expected to find here?" she asked me softly

"No… not at all" I answered before I kissed her neck. She sighed heavily her breath hot. I didn't even mind the smells on her from the night before. My body was now in control not my mind. And it felt great.

She moaned lightly. I might've too, I don't remember it was my first time. It felt amazing. We became very familiar with each other's bodies, fairly soon, and the more we had the more we wanted. It went on for hours. We didn't even notice when the sun went down. Or the hunger kicked in. all we knew was each other.

I rolled off her, puffing, gasping for breath. Her stomach growled, and she looked down at it begrudgingly. "No we can eat later, I'm busy now!" she lectured. I laughed aloud, I couldn't believe this mare. She smiled one of her heart rending smiles at me. "You look amazing" I told her, she lay there covered in dirt and sweat. I swear I've never seen a more beautiful sight in my life. She kissed me again.

And the familiar taste of her took me away from this wasteland momentarily.

"Hey" I started "We really need to eat … Miss?"

She laughed at my awkwardness. I couldn't help but blush.

"Sea Foam." She chimed in.

"I'm… I'm… Mi- Mi-" it was getting harder to pronounce. I didn't want to tell her my name. I hated him for it. I hated them. I hated me. I couldn't tell her.

"Hey, are you alright?" she asked. I guess she could see the turmoil in my face. "Listen if you don't want to tell me it's ok, just don't go running off and abandoning me here, got it?" I nodded my head in agreement.

"I'm Midnight!" I spat out a lie.

She could tell.

"Is that a nickname? Or do you lie to every mare you fuck in the desert? I'd rather you say nothing than lie, you know." I stared down at the ground. I felt like shit, of course she thinks that. Wouldn't anypony? I just couldn't tell her.

"I can't tell you my Name, Sea Foam, because my father gave it to me as a joke. And it's followed me ever since. And I can shake off the hurt and the pain and the hate that name has caused. So I go by Midnight. Ok? Is that good enough for you, or do you wanna keep putting me down?"

I could tell she had gotten it. She leaned on my shoulder again, staring up at the night sky with me.

"I'm sorry if that came across as bitchy, Midnight but, I hate being lied to. You're not the only one with a history; I just spent an entire day with you. On you. Any ways… I just want some truth, I don't want to feel like you're using me."

I could understand that much and she did deserve it. But I couldn't tell her yet.

"I know, and believe me you have my word I'll stick with you. And I won't lie to you, and when I'm strong enough I'll tell you."

She smiled satisfied that I was being sincere.

"Now, then, lets head on back to my village, since we spent so much time here, we've probably lost the group and were gonna have to hoof it back there alone. Shouldn't take too long."

She looked amused. "How long until we get there?" she asked

"Shouldn't be more than a week."

-oooo00000oooooo000ooooo-

"I'm pretty sure we've been here before Midnight."

She scoffed. We'd been lost for at least two weeks now. Despite radscorpions and the occasional feral ghoul pony, we were doing pretty well. I'd come to know Sea Foam Windhooves quite well. And she had opened up to me very quickly. She was a lonely pony. She worked with the Enclave, up in the clouds. I didn't ask too much into it. I just wanted to know about her. She was incredible.

I loved the way she ran screaming from radroaches because they were "Icky" and then she chased them down at gunpoint. I loved the way she snored like a dragon when she slept. I loved the way she came to me for comfort when the sun set. The stories she'd tell me by our campfires. The way she held down ghouls while I chopped them to death with my butcher's knife. In short I think I just loved her.

Journal entry: 2072.11.9.

I still can't believe my luck. The colt is a real character ever since I met Him I knew there was something different about him. He calls himself "Midnight" I know that not his real name but he attaches a real negative connotation to it. From what I can tell he is the runt of the litter from a very savage raider family. The amazing fact is his reluctance to cause harm. In self-defense he's unstoppable but will avoid conflict as often as possible. It's actually cute. This brings me to the next conflict. I think I'm falling for him. He's everything I've imagined a hero would be like. Hee hee hee. Anyways. I've been thinking a lot lately, and I don't think I can go through with the Mission. I know I'll be branded as a Dashite. But, I've come to learn a lot about the wasteland and I think you were right. It changes us. Maybe not into evil monsters like you said but it definitely does. I think I'm going to stay here with him. I hope I'm not making a mistake. I hope you won't take this to heart but your life, and fathers aren't for me. And the reasons for our little incursion into the wasteland are insulting to me. I don't give a damn about or the Enclave I'm hiding this message in the Pipbuck and I'll transmit it as soon as I'm out of your reach. Somepony should really go check up on that Glory girl out in Hoofington too, since we never reached her team in Miramare. I'm sorry about this. I hope you can understand. I know you'll be mad. But you didn't love me either, this is what I wish for, Shellshock good luck and I hope you accomplish whatever it was that was more important than living your life.

-With respect, Sea Foam Windhooves.

I awoke lazily to see her fidgeting around with some small device she called a "Pipbuck." I ignored it for the most part as tech things weren't really my strong point. She glanced over at me and yawned "good morning Midnight!" she looked cheerful. I don't understand how she could do it.

The morning dew was still fresh. And the sun was dim against the iron curtain of clouds that Sea Foam claimed the Pegasus controlled. I could feel the breeze against my mane softly caressing my coat. It was a pleasant sensation. I could live like this forever.

"I could live like this forever." She said aloud.

I nodded my head in agreement.

I was about to ask her some questions when I heard a scream in the distance.

I turned quick as lighting and saw a maroon earth pony chasing a small grey unicorn out of what we had assumed was a decrepit, seemingly abandoned shack. All night we wondered what might be inside but decided to keep a safe distance from the rickety old place. It had probably once been a grocery shop like many other buildings around her, but now all that remained was rust, and regrets. The smaller unicorn was covered in mud and stains her flanks deeply bruised and cut. I could only assumed the Earth Pony had held her down and raped her.

I trotted towards them full speed. I had to stop him. If there's one thing I couldn't stand it was rapists and ponies who took advantage of other ponies. (Now don't get me wrong I'm a raider myself, and I'm not entirely sure how I've developed this sudden sense of morality but I could never stand rape. I guess always being the small pony had made me sensitive to abuse. I'm not too sure I could've continued the raider life anyway. Did I really want to turn out like WarSeed? Caring about nothing but himself?

I had just about cleared the distance when the earth buck noticed the cloud of smoke I had kicked up charging him. I heard him cuss out loud and turn towards me deciding that killing me would be the smarter of the two choices.

"Good call, asshole."

I side stepped him and rear hoofed him in the side. I felt bones shatter, as he collapsed gasping for breath, blood splurting from his mouth. I didn't have time for him I ran after the unicorn, and noticed Sea Foam a good dozen paces behind me. She carried a sturdy looking black revolver in her mouth her eyes ablaze with anger, I turned forward and kept running. I heard a gunshot from my rear. Good riddance, asshole.

I had almost reached the filly when another red earth pony sprang up from the sand, like a specter, machete In his mouth and grasped the filly in his hoof. Pinning her down and screaming at me. "One more move and she's-a done for!"

I stopped dead in my tracks. Fuck. A hostage? How fucking cheap can you get?

"Listen, Asshole." I said "Let her go, right the fuck now. And I swear I won't shove that machete right up your pisshole!"

He smiled. "I dare ya, little guy go for it!"

And before I could move he brought the machete down on the filly.

Slicing her open from mouth to stomach, I watched horrified as her guts began to spill out of her. He then started to splash around in it. Delighting in his work, he chanted "Come and get me Pony! Come and get me! You said you would do what to me!?" he laughed at me. This was a joke to him.

And in my failure to act I had allowed a filly to die. I myself had killed a colt too hadn't i? Was I no better? No. I hadn't enjoyed it. Not once did killing a pony bring me satisfaction, not the colt, not WarSeed, not the ghouls. But this fiend, he was a different story altogether.

I screamed as loud as my lungs would allow without bursting and I was upon him faster than he had killed the filly. He slashed at me with the machete a couple of times. I couldn't fell pain all I felt was rage. I hoofed him in the throat several times. I kept hitting. I could see him choking. I smashed his stomach and with the wind knocked out of him, he let go of the machete. I took it with my teeth. And I could taste the sweat and grime on the handle but I didn't care I hacked away at him. He screamed in pain as the blunt edge took off chunks of flesh more by force than by cutting. Tears ran down his face, and be tried to plead and beg as he choked.

"No!" I raged at him " NO JUSTICE."

-oooooo00000000000oooooooooo-

I spat the filthy machete out. I somberly made my way to the once living little filly. She was adorable minus the guts hanging out her side. I held her, and I cried. "I wish I could've saved you, little one."

I cried. I felt things besides hate and horniness.

Sea Foam rested her head on my shoulder. "What if we give her a funeral, Midnight, would that be better?" She asked softly.

I nodded in agreement. "It's the least we could do for her."

She agreed

"Since I already failed her when she needed me." I added.

It rained at the filly's funeral. She didn't have a name so we called her, Filly. The mud made it hard to dig and I had to use the bloody machete to dig up the hole. It was tough work. And I had insisted that I be the one to do it. My coat was soaked and I felt so cold. But thankfully the regret numbed most of it away.

I looked down at the makeshift grave sourly. This is what being powerless felt like. I tried to say some words but none came to mind. It only helped to piss me off more.

"I don't want to live this life, Sea Foam."

She held my hoof sadly. "I know."

It would be another 3 and a half weeks until we stumbled our way into the dusty old village. Most of the ponies were asleep. But it seems as though nothing had changed. The blood stained walls still held strong, and the ramshackle buildings and huts were still ugly rust against the black sky above.

I dragged her back to my hut (pretending) and slammed the door behind me. My little hut was not much more than an old moldy mattress that reeked of sex and a barrel of water. "I'm guessing somepony had used my place as their personal fuck shack." Fucking great." I muttered. Sea Foam positive as ever, just smirked "I bet we can make it smell worse…."

I know my jaw dropped. I couldn't see myself but I knew it had.

she just giggled. She took me by the hoof to the mattress. (But not before turning it over first. Smart pony.)

In the midst of the night I could've sworn I heard my door creak, but I saw nothing. I waited patiently and nothing came I rolled over again and embraced Sea Foam, who still snored on, loudly as ever.

I'm sure that's when the thieves went through our things.

We awoke, the next morning having heard the ruckus outside as two familiar sounding Bucks (or butch Mares, I don't know) fought over some trivial trinket they had found. I couldn't really pick up the conversation too well, but whatever it was I couldn't tell, and frankly I didn't care. I turned to Sea Foam, the sky-blue Pegasi I had "Rescued" and warned her... "Remember i just "Raped" you so follow me close and don't talk to nopony!" she smiled as she corrected me "Anypony, don't talk to anypony; you can't use double negatives." i stared at her for a moment i couldn't express what i was feeling something between dumbfounded anger, and respect for the little mare.

"Well, I know you're not going to enjoy this but I'm going to have to hoof you in the Face."

Her smile quickly disappeared "You're that mad about me correcting you?"

Her frown was actually kind of cute, I think I smiled. "No, not at all, I mean think about it, I'm a raider if I didn't beat you during sex and leave you something to show for it, I'd be weird..."

I hoped she would understand...

Her frown deepened "You're going to either have to get me outta here or kill Me." she said and continued "I can't live this kind of life"

"sure." i told her I'd get her out hell id go with her. Why not? I'm a raider the craziest, nastiest, killer in the wasteland. What did I have to fear? (A lot actually and had I known better, I would've put a bullet in her skull, and saved her all the anguish I would put her through. Better somepony she knew… than what did happen.) I started packing my things, I didn't own too much, some bullets, a lot of chems id never tried (on myself...) and a lot of healing potions...(I'm not a big buck you know.) and me being so fresh to the wasteland, i didn't wanna slack it on the healing potions department.

That morning was the beginning of the end for us. The volatile chain of events that would lead to her death as well as mine.

it was the mares (yup, butch) who were fighting outside over the trinket that started it. I heard a pop, and a click. And they had somehow activated the Pipbuck. As soon as their stupid faces fell upon the stupid device their eyes went wide. "OOOOH Shiny!" They both jumped at it, crashing into each other and falling into a heap of dyke-tastic ponies...fighting over a device they didn't even understand. I came outside, and i took the Pipbuck, it slid right onto my right forehoof. And then the unimaginable happened. It locked into place… all nice and tight.

I saw my vision blur slightly as time and space stopped around me. i saw green letters across my eyes... ALL SYSTEMS UPDATEDDATA LINK ESTABLISHEDDOWNLOAD BASIC USER INTERFACE...COMPLETES.A.T.S. SPELL MATRIX FUNCTIONAL AUDIO/VIDEO LOG CORRUPTED/MAPPING DATA CORRUPTED/ENCRYPTED FILES CORRUPTED NEW USER LOGIN REGISTRATION COMPLETE. FACTORY RESET... Y/N?

"ummm..." I kind of stared at the text scrolling down my eyesight… it was the oddest sensation in the world... that I'd felt so far. (Not nearly as awesome as fighting somepony on Dash… or fucking on Dash.) the big green letters dumbfounded me, Y or N... well shit i don't know. What the fuck is a factory? I eyed the big lime N and the thing simply continued on its endless boot sequence... There's those big words again. Finally it finished and asked ""Combat Initialized, Activate S.A.T.S... Y/N?""

Again with the stupid questions… I don't know what this S.A.T.S. is, and when did I start combating anypony? I looked around and saw one of the mares swinging at me with a broken shard of glass. I toggled yes on the display and this time, time froze for real. I saw a pale outline of the mare's body and readout in numbers I'm guessing of the percentage I had of hitting her in certain spots. Which were also highlighted and labeled

"HEAD" showed a 99% chance... "HOOF" showed a 95% chance, hell the goddess damn shard of glass had a probability of 80% now I'm no smart pony, but I liked those odds, since I heard 50% was a half… these numbers looked much better than half! The SATS told me that my weapon was HOOF. Ok so I'd be sucker-hoofing her in the head. Sounds good, I guess. "Execute… Y/N?" I smiled "Fuck yes". Immediately the world came back to speed as she charged me, and my hoof shot out at her as hard as a slug from a 12 gauge. I felt a crunch as I tore through her flesh and hit deep into her temple. She dropped dead without even a cry. The other mare stared at me incredously... "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO CHERRY CRUNCH!?" She roared I could see on my upper left corner of my right eye what looked like an outline of my town... it showed me the location of everypony around me. They were all yellow, except for Cherry Crunchs' mistress, who had just turned red. "It even shows intent and location!" i ventured as i side stepped her. And hit my SATS tab. which said "Recharge Time 19Sec...18Sec...17Sec.." ok so i had to wait… fine then… I took the piece of broken glass off of Cherry Crunches nasty cadaver... and bit on to it. As I slowly began to circle the charcoal mare, she looked familiar...

"You know, I always knew you were jealous of my relationship with Cherry." My sister taunted...I had almost forgotten about her. I never spent any time or affection towards her since she hated Dad just a tad bit more than I did. She preferred to stay out of our ways. This is sad considering she had always been more like dad than I ever was. "Haze... you don't have to do this." I beckoned. She smiled bitterly. "Oh, yes i do, little brother... or should i call you by your First name, M-" "DONT YOU SAY IT NIGHT HAZE DONT YOU UTTER THAT NAME!" I put a hoof threateningly forward, shard of glass still in my muzzle i dared veer my eye a little off to the left, SATS ACTIVE it read, good I was gonna need all the help I could get. I was bracing for SATS to kick in, when I heard Sea Foam's sweet sing song voice carry over me to night haze. "What is his name?" She asked. I turned to her eyes ablaze with hate. She backed away stubbornly, still not willing to cede to my anger. Damn it. Night Haze laughed aloud... "So he never told you? Ha that figures. I'm amazed he hasn't killed himself with a name like that, I would've, am I right or am I wrong, Mistakes?" The crowd around us laughed as i bent my head down in shame… that bastard of a father... fuck him. Fuck her... fuck them. I could feel the anger but it was so intense I couldn't direct it, I couldn't control it. I was useless. I felt my world swim and dance in tingling numb anger when all of a sudden the gentle touch of a small blue mare brought me back. She looked up at me with those amber eyes of hers shining with tears in them. "I'm so sorry." I didn't utter a word. I didn't know what to say. "I-I'll never call you Mistakes. If you're a mistake, then... then... you're the best mistake I ever made!" She looked at me beaming as her small diamonds locked into my soul begging me for forgiveness. And there was something else… something I had never been taught. Something I would have to learn.

"You don't even know me." I said. "For all you know, I will become Mistakes." She smiled one of her brighter smiles "Then we will learn from our mistakes." And with that she reached for her saddlebag. The same shitstained saddlebag we had found her in… oh Luna, how it still reeked of shit! Starting with this one!" i heard a crack as the small revolver spat out its deathly decree. The executioner had called for her and my Sister had gone to meet him.

We had to leave town. If only just until things blew over. So far I had through my "Non raiderness" killed two of our own. Two hot shot leaders of our tribe. This left me technically in charge. I would just leave and let these idiots kill each other over who got to be the king of the murderers and thieves... big honor that shit would be. Said plan worked quite well, until the Enclave showed up. Sea Foam looked up at the quickly approaching black carapace flyers overhead. They were like a boxed up fat turtle… with cannon covering its every side it was lifted by what appeared to be clouds... a Raptor, Sea Foam had called it. Yeah, fuck that. I watched as it hovered overhead and began its cauterization of our town, indiscriminately burning away and melting every pony it hit with its laser rifles, scorching every pony in its way. Cruelly setting them ablaze. Pink Death streaks liquefying everypony in sight. I turned to Sea foam... "What the Fuck is that?"

"It's what the enclave does." she began to explain "it's a tactic to impress the surface ponies... Kill the raiders and work their way into their hearts..." it didn't make sense, well actually it made perfect sense... "But why?" i asked dumbfounded… "If these ponies cared so much they would free themselves from danger... who called these Enclave… cuz by the look of things… I don't think they're happy go lucky Goddess sent saviors..." She looked at me. I could see storm clouds in her eyes, "You have more common sense than you show. They need the publicity to take over the Wasteland… What ponies didn't realize is that a small civilization that limited itself and its reproduction limit would be able to roughly outlast the radiation down here...but once we revoked the breeding laws to certain privileged ponies eventually inbreeding would happen, space would be limited and production quotas would be tighter. But instead of exiling these ponies or re-limiting them, they sent us down here..." I was struggling to digest these ideas… the idea of limiting things… why? It didn't make sense… these ponies really were living in the clouds.

*BRZZZT* a stream of deadly pink crackled the air around our heads. The smell of burnt ozone (whatever that smells like) and spilt battery acid stained our noses and cut our little lesson time short. The only learning that was going to happen was these Pegasi getting a crash course in being broken. Sea Foam, dived outta the way behind a broken down wooden shack (or house) didn't matter it was a decaying structure anyhow... but the death beams didn't seem to punch through the soggy wooden bulk of the shack. I jump opposite of her towards an overturned trash can. And again the beams didn't penetrate the paper thin cans. "What the Fuck!?" i yelled over at sea foam. She rolled her eyes and began to search her saddle bag for the small revolver she had restored. She put her eye to a crack in the wall and began counting. "Seems like a full wing of Enclave and a raptor... Don't see why they're this far south though." she yelled over at me taking pot shots at the little scorpion looking bastards. One lucky bullet punched straight through his visor and dug deep into his eyes. But didn't bother coming out the other way, regardless that pony slumped over and died head gushing fluids.

My Pipbuck display brought up 3 message displays its bright green letters finally bringing me news i wanted to hear "3 PERKS ADDED: SLAYER, the speed & damage of all melee attacks and unarmed attacks is increased by 30% with SWAG. COMMANDO: you are more accurate and you reload faster, cuz you need to kill things faster. WEAPONS MASTER: any and all weapons are deadly in your hoof, from your hoof to a Grenade machinegun. Good Job!

I needed a weapon, quick. I began searching around the trash can trying my best to keep as small a target as possible to avoid lasers. I found a broken metal crowbar, a little bent at the top, but I guess it would do if anypony decided to invade my personal space. "Fuck this!" I said as I spat the bar away from myself. Angry, I was prepared to trot out there head first, unarmed, because I'm stupid. I'm very stupid. I eyed the nearest Pegasus in Enclave armor as he zapped one of the town's oldest mares into a fleeting pile of glowing dust. The Pink streaks that emanated from his rifle zigzagged across the road, not really intent on hitting anything as much as harassing us dumb surface ponies. Fuck that asshole, we weren't just some dumb fucking savages, we were angry powerful dumb fucking savages. "Wait!" was all I heard Sea Foam yell at me as I charged the Pegasus shooting up my town.

"Nah , Fuck that I'm not gonna let some fancy bitch ponies come to MY Home and Murder MY Ponies!" I rolled out of his line of fire, avoiding by inches the laser rifle's muzzle and I dropped to my side, spinning on the small of my neck smashing his face with my hind hooves in a spinning kick. I heard the rifle drop as he hit the floor, Hard. Neck broken from my kicks. I saw out of the corner of my eye, another Pegasus notices me and fly over to me in a fury.

I spin harder pushing myself up with my fore hooves into the air, hind hooves first straight into his gut. The wind knocked from him he fell over, in mid-air i somersaulted recovering my balance and activated S.A.T.S. as i fell targeting his neck. I fell with both hind hooves into him crushing his wind pipe.

I saw 2 other Pegasi watching acidly. They would not make the same mistake of letting me close the distance they opened fire with their lasers. I dodged as lightly hooved as ever, pink fizz all around me, streaks of hate whizzing past me, but this rush, this ecstasy I felt while fighting was amazing. I smiled a different kind of smile. I had become the master of my own body, and I experienced a thrill like no other, no matter the distance or the foe I could overcome him. I was flying high; dodging and spinning, laughing at them! Look at them! Simple Pegasi!

Fucking idiot. I wish i could've seen the look on my face as i was struck in my hind hoof by one of the lasers HOLY FUCK! The pain was like starting a fire inside my leg, then having it burst outward. I tripped over myself, my hind leg's giving way allowing me to fall face first into the dirt I'm pretty sure. I lost a tooth or two in the fall. I instantly rolled out of the way, depriving the Pegasi of the chance to kill me. The pain in my hind legs refusing to let me think, all I could do was let my body do the work as my mind went into strike, refusing to function as it should.

I rolled over one of the Laser rifles and picked it up. The green letters in the top left corner of my sight told me "(1) Wazer Wifle Added to Inventory." Cool, I guess. I'd check what that meant later. I could also see on the bottom right hand a number 25/0 a count of how much ammo i had to waste. These functions came so naturally, if I ever met the pony that designed this work of art i would hug them. Hugging... that's weird. I instinctively racked back the slide and the Wifle was armed i started firing back at the enclave ponies taking about 6 shots each to down. I rolled over to their bodies taking any ammo I could not caring what kind it was the pipbuck was sorting it and identifying it for me, so i could know what to use to reload my wifle with. i took the rifle with the most ammo and tossed it over to Sea Foam. "COVER ME!" i shouted. She nodded in amazement wide eyed. "What the hay just happened?"

"Fuck if I know but let's roll with it! Now cover me Sea Foam, and we'll make it out of here alive!" I kicked one of the laser rifles on the ground up, catching it with my other forehoof, rifle in each hoof; I turned it to the enclave Pegasi surrounding the main square of the town the last major group I could see rounding up the last of the survivors and executing them. I ran to them, then I sped, then I lost control "Fuck it!" i dropped to my hind legs, sliding forward towards them, rifles firing madly, letting S.A.T.S. take some of the glory calling all my shots, my accuracy at amazing levels. Nothing below a 70%. I counted 8 or 9 ponies in my frozen state allowing S.A.T.S. to deliciously place its marks before hitting the Execute toggle "Enough Chit-Chat. Time is Candy!" Time snapped back into place.

All I could hear was the deafening roar of their laser rifles punching by me, my own rifles screaming right back at them. 1,2,5,7 ponies fell left and right but then they started pouring out of the Raptor. "FUCK!" the raptor. I hadn't accounted for that. They dropped in a circle surrounding me. I did the splits and turned on my side spinning once more, opening fire, "FUCK YOU PONIES!" ZZZZING! I became a lightshow of murder spinning wildly and firing at anything pony shaped. Anypony I missed, Sea Foam felled with her own rifle. The bodies were dropping all around me. I took a couple of hits. I could see fresh scars on my legs and coat burns that might never heal including one running across my face. I came up with a hop, a jump, and a skip. Rifles slamming outward at the remaining ponies around me. They dropped their weapons. I couldn't see through their Helmets but I'm sure they had about pissed themselves, sweat was beading from me and my body felt hot. I panted audibly never letting my rifles stagger, I growled at them. "Here's the deal. You leave and that raptor is mine." They looked at me eager for any other terms. There were none, I don't work miracles.

They then paused and looked at each other than at me. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife. Sea Foam Slid into view from nowhere. Placing her rifle to one of the Carapace flyer's head, "Don't even think about it." she threatened. I saw the Pegasus in the armor relax his stance as if surrendering. "Good" she nodded turning her gaze to me. "That had to be the most amazing thing i have ever witnessed in my life. That's above even the most impressive of Enclave martial arts, I think short of Fallen Caesar Style Zebra Martial arts, which has to be the best moves I've seen a pony do." I smiled embarrassed obviously turning red.

"Yeah i guess..." I snorted changing subjects as quick as i could. I said "now about this Raptor."

Level Up

+15 Action Ponts

+15 Health

+10 Guns

+10 Energy weapons

+15 Unarmed

+10 Melee

+5 Speech

New Perk Added "Grim Reaper's Sprint": when you successfully perform a kill in S.A.T.S. your Action Points are fully Replenished

**2. Reflections**

_"we want to apologize for the pain and embarrassment we've caused….. all we can do is ask for your forgiveness Ponyville."_

I sighed as the defeated enclave stripped themselves of their uniforms and left them in a pile in the middle of town where they could be burned later. I set off alone to look for any survivors. I searched the entirety of my town confused, unsure what i was looking for. Why was i searching? What did I have to find. I'd murdered Warseed and Midnight...what was left for me here? Even if I found anypony else I knew, I'd probably end up killing them too eventually. I sat by myself for a minute in a burnt up shack. While I was off in my crazed dance fight, the ponies around me were scorched alive by the Raptors cannon. There was no one left. I cried, for reasons beyond me... why? I didn't miss any pony; I had nothing to attach me to this place. It was just a ramshackle collection of rusting tin metal and worm infested wood.

This was home though. This is where I had grown up, and despite the nature of the ponies around me these are the only ponies i had ever known aside from Sea Foam. Her people came here and for no reason burned us all alive. Well I won't say for any reason. We were killers right? All of us, no? Did we not deserve this end? Did we not deserve to watch each other burn alive and hear our brothers and sisters scream as flames consumed us. Was that what hell was like?

Young, old, buck, mare, colt, father, daughter, and grandfilly, we were as one, and we are scorched. I looked over the charred remains of a foal not even 2 summers old. The twisted form of her face screaming incomprehensible words as she probably smelled herself roast, crying and choking on the fumes from her own body. There were dozens of them. Beam marks across their heads from where the Enclave had executed them, lined up neatly. Rows and rows of dead ponies littered town square. The fillies up front and the older ponies in the rear. Amazing, how orderly they had been wasted. But this was ok right? We were raiders. We were thieves. We were rapists. We were liars. We were evil. the young as well, we would become evil eventually, so then... was this really a favor to anyone, if this was the right thing why did it feel so awful why was it so wrong. Why did i rage on the inside? Seeing them laying there they deserved this, didn't they? Didn't I?

Sea Foam would not approach me. It's for the better she could see the turmoil in me. I hadn't spoken in hours. Since she suggested we take the Raptor and run. As if running would fix this. But again i asked myself, fix what? This was a solution I had no right to be mad. We searched the raptor for traps, clearing it out was easy. There were few ponies left inside and most had been easy to sneak up on. But I know Sea Foam watched with concern when I became more and more hostile with each pony. Until at the very last one I literally ignored S.A.T.S. and smashed his head with the front of my Wifle.

Once we were back down I had the remaining Enclave tied up in town square. Sea Foams eyes gave away her worry, but I could see that now. My eyes were blinded by red. Blood fogging my vision or was it anger. I waltzed right up to the first pony and shot him in the face 6 times. I plastered his skull all over his companions. They screamed at me and I smiled as I turned to the next one and shot him as well. The mare next to him cried vehemently. I laughed at her. Hard, this was funny? I don't think so. Why am I laughing? I thought. What am I doing? I need to stop. "I will not stop!" I heard myself say aloud in a raspy vengeful voice not my own. "P-P-Please stop, don't do this to me! Please!" the mare pleaded her face pale with fear. I hoofed her hard in the jaw watching her blood spray my hoof and splatter the ground then I smashed her face into it forcing her to savor her blood and the dirt. I then threw her away from me and shot the remaining bucks.

"STOP! PLEASE!" Sea Foam Cried. I didn't want to hurt her. I tried to stop but at that moment my body did not belong to me. I shoved her off, and she sobbed violently as I went and gracefully lifted the body of the burnt filly and brought it to the mare that I had hoofed in the jaw. She wouldn't stop bleeding, or crying she was in horrible pain i could tell. Good."FUCK YOU! FUCK THE ENCLAVE!" i boomed at her kicking her once more. She rolled over violently heaving up whatever it is she had eaten. Her body weak from the abuse. Sea Foam jumped in front of me, using her body as a shield. "Stop this!" she demanded tears in her eyes. I couldn't stand the sight of her, her wings. A Pegasus. "WHY!? DOES IT ANGER YOU WHEN I KILL YOUR SISTERS? DOES IT!?" I shoved her hard as I pushed her away and I let myself fall on the weeping Pegasus, my hips over hers just enough weight to hold her down. I took one of her wings in my hand and whispered into her ear, "Do you see that little filly behind me? The one you burned alive?" she shook her head in disagreement so I yelled at her "THE ONE YOU BURNED ALIVE, YOU CUNT! SHE WASN'T EVEN 2 SUMMERS OLD!" She tried to find words but none came out except "It wasn't me!" Be as that may, I don't think I was in a mood for thinking or for blame games. Or maybe I was.

"I DONT CARE! DOESNT MATTER WHO DID IT! SHES FUCKING DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!" I sobbed as I punched her wing at the joint until it snapped. I could hear her crunch and it made me glad. I didn't stop; I smashed the other wing as well. I could sense it, I could feel her pain. It was excruciating, it was perfect. I felt cold steel upon my head and I turned my head to face Sea Foam pointing her laser at my face. "Please Mistakes... Stop... Please, you've done enough…" The tears in her eyes flooded her beautiful face. I could see the dark lavender bruise I had left on her from my rage. I wanted to stop. Believe me, Sea Foam, but I am not me. This is someone else. I can't control this. I saw her face turn pale as well. She was stuttering and dropping her rifle. Wait what? Why? No! Don't, Sea Foam, don't! Shoot me! Now! "Why, why are your eyes so red? Mistakes, what are you?" She whispered. My eyes red? What the hay? My eyes are amber. I heard that voice that wasn't mine answer, "Because, I am not Mistakes." My soul froze. I fell just as still as she did waiting for me to explain. I saw my eye lids close and I saw the answer to my questions I saw myself. Covered in blood, the burning eyes weren't mine. They were my father's red pupils. I was him. Just as I'd always feared. I could feel burning tears scar my cheeks. The pain was real, but this, this couldn't be, this was a nightmare it had to be. The red from one of my eyes receded and i could see normally out of that one. I looked down and saw the mare screaming and crying; her wings a mangled mess of blood, bone and feathers I slid off her horrified that I had done this. I mean I knew I had done this but I wasn't myself when I did it. Sea Foam stared at my normal eye not minding the other eye. "Mistakes if you're still in there. I know you can resist this. Whatever it is. I know you're still in there. Don't let him control you. You are not your father's colt. You are your own pony. I still need you! Whatever is inside of you fed off your emotions and acted on them. I don't blame you for what happened but you need to stop. "NO!" came his voice again. "MISTAKES IS EXACTLY THAT. MISTAKES.I AM BETTER THAN HE IS FOR I AM ALL HE NEVER WAS. I AM THE ANSWER! I AM DEADEYES, SON OF WARSEED, RIGHTFUL MASTER OF RAIDERS AND BANDITS ALIKE AND I AM DEATH!"

Sea Foam looked pale, raising her rifle at me once more I broke through him long enough to yell "DO IT SEA FOAM, STOP ME BEFORE I CAN HURT YOU AGAIN!" She heard my voice not his and dropped her rifle "I can't do that. I can't kill you, Because I Love You, I know I just met you Mistakes, but this was no accident I was meant to find you in my exile, and I know that this is real." No No no no no no Goddess damn it NO! Do it please. I could feel my eyes flood with the blood again, the anger, the rage, the resentment. I was Deadeyes again.

The mare I had stomped rose slowly, broken and startled, scared to move but I heard her ask "What the fuck is happening here?" Sea Foam turned to her and said "Please don't hate Mistakes for what he's done. That wasn't him who hurt you. He isn't what his father was. He is better. And I know he will make a difference. The red in my eyes deepened at the mention of my name. Almost as if I hated myself. The Pegasus with the broken wings sat confused, staring at Sea Foam as if she was crazy. My voice was absolutely broken with madness i could hear my furious throaty words echo aloud. "ENOUGH! ENOUGH OF MISTAKES. HE IS SHIT AS ARE YOU!" he turned to Sea Foam, and charged her. She simply smiled. That's the last I will ever remember of her. A Smile. And it kills me on the inside to remember that. How she was. Who she was. And what she is to me.

The only grace I find is that I blacked out as soon as I hit her. Time and space froze for me, I was sitting in a grassy hill, the likes of which I had never seen before. All around me was grass. Green, green, grass. She was there with me, she looked just as gorgeous as always smiling flapping her cute little wings. I smiled " Sea foam!" I called out to her; she turned to me and began flying towards me when thunder struck the plains between us. A violent crash almost hit her and I ran as fast as my hooves could take me to her. She dodged left and right, her wings navigating the storm with a prowess that would make Rainbow Dash proud. We had almost made it to each other when, a thunderbolt hit her and she steered a hard right ramming into the ground, clots of dirt and grass flying everywhere, the unnerving sound of bones breaking followed and I heard a weak squeal as she tried to say something before blacking out. I rolled as a crack of lighting almost struck me, I screamed at the heavens "LET ME GET TO HER DAMN IT!"

When I awoke, I was soaked in her. I was covered in Sea Foam. Her body was unrecognizable. A bloody pulp stretched across my whole town. Parts of her lay everywhere. Teeth, bones, organs. I wasn't sure what was what. I knew that even some of the fluids on myself I couldn't identify.

What had I done?

I had effectively torn her apart. I fell to my knees and screamed. My tears ran down the already scarred streaks on my face. I felt numb and burning, I felt a million things at once. I tore at myself hard. Trying to tear my coat off, trying hard to scrape the blood from myself. THE BLOOD! OH MY GODDESS IT'S EVERYWHERE! "WHY WON'T IT GO AWAY!? WHY!? GODDESSDAMNIT TO HELL!? WHY THE FUCK DID THIS HAPPEN? WHY DIDNT YOU FUCKING RUN, SEA FOAM!? WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED!?" I broke down I couldn't go on. I can't do this without you...I Love you too Sea Foam...

The mare with the broken wings sat there eyes wide and blank. Her mind, Derpy. She was looking at something I couldn't see. She was covered in vomit and tears. She had probably seen it all. Unable to move or fly away. Only sit there and watch and listen. I can't imagine. I'm glad I can't.

I remember it rained afterwards. Like the goddess was crying for us. Mourning her children. I cried too, I cried hard, I can't remember when I stopped. It's not like anypony else was around. If there had been anypony around I think they'd have made quick work of us. I say us because the broken mare and I were the only ponies alive there. And I use alive loosely.

To be honest when i stopped whimpering I felt cold. The rain had washed away the blood and grit and gore off my coat and mane, but i was forever stained with her. It had also soaked me to my bones. I felt the heat from my body fade slowly. I lay down amidst the mud, and pray for death. As I closed my eyes I could see myself killing her. I asked aloud "Why did i do that?" From the wind came a song from nowhere "Hush now, quiet now, It's time to lay your sleepy head, hush now, quiet now. It's time to go bed... Hush... Now, Quiet...Now... It's time to lay your sleepy head.." I was making my way to Sea's Knapsack across the central town square her bag lay torn and bloody, covered in her old shit stains still. The image of the scared and trembling pony I had met her as resurfaced into me. My eyes welled up and tears rained from my eyes again. But I couldn't cry out anymore. My voice was raspy and crackling... i sang with the beautiful voice of the radiopony, then joined by other ponies in succession they all sounded as sad as i had. What were they at a funeral or something? What did they have to be sad about? I wonder if the pony singing had ever killed any pony, much less one she loved. "Hush now Quiet Now Lay your sleepy Head..."the song was accompanied by a somber and deep motion like a hum that swayed ever so gracefully. I realized the music came from my Pipbuck. I let it play on, since she sang it so much better than I. Her voice made me feel like everything would be all right. I let it soothe me try to take the hurt away. So is this what every other pony had felt when we sacked their towns? This is what every pony felt to see their family die, their life taken from them to be powerless as it all happened. I felt ashamed of us. What we were. We weren't survivors, we were murderers, and thieves, worse even we enjoyed it. What was wrong with us that somepony could enjoy, causing this to other ponies?

"And that was a recording of a certain Security pony on her Contrabass! Brought to you Courtesy of somepony requesting to remain anonymous, Watch out Security you have a Stalker!" announced a friendly sounding pony over the radio; whoever he was he was excited to talk. About anything it seems, I listened to him talk and talk and talk until finally came the news portion of his broadcast. "This is DJ Pon3 with the news! Good news to you folks out there by New Appaloosa, the Raider settlement not too far from Old Appaloosa has been stripped clear of raiders. Great news for us non-fucked up in the head Ponies!" so that's what we were to the rest of the Wasteland? Figures. "But the surprising part is who the Pacifier of the tale is! Mid Enclave attack, a Cute Little Cyan Pegasus and a handsome Jet Black earth pony attacked them! The Enclave sure underestimated that terrible twosome. Since that mare is a dead shot and her buck, is a break dancing Fight machine! Your good ol' DJ could hardly believe his eyes! A hay of a show! I had turn to my attentions to a toaster repair pony that came to my doorstep unfortunately so I couldn't finish watching, but stick with it, you two! I'm sure you'll give the Enclave a hoof for their Bits! And those raiders too! Keep fighting the good fight! This has been DJ PON3 with the news!"

Was that what he thought happened? We were some raider hit squad cleaning the wasteland? As if. I just wanted to get her out of there. I just fought. I just killed her. Did no pony care? Every time I closed my eyes i felt the onset of red. I didn't want to become Deadeyes again.

"You won't anytime soon." came a shock from my head. I dropped to the grime as I put my hooves to my head to keep the ringing out of my ears as Deadeyes screamed into my brain. "Because I am what happen when you lose control. I am your monster. I am all your hate, your anger; I am what makes you strong. I am what put those shells to WarSeed. I am all that is anything about you Mistakes. And I want to be real clear, you have potential. And by that I mean you could burn this, all of it, as far as the eye can see, everypony out there bowing to your every whim! Rivers of blood in your name, a glory your father could never achieve. All you would have to do is kill a couple of ponies here and there, burn a town or two. And then slowly gather all the filth and scum the wasteland has to offer, which believe you me is ALOT! And it could all be yours. One reign under you. All you have to do is give me control. Again. I am only a part of you that is already there. I only take away the weaker elements of yourself and I leave you with more."

Again. This had happened before, I reminded myself, and last time I had killed Sea Foam. My mare. "Again" i echoed the word "Exactly" came his answer "And don't doubt me, I will creep on you, until I catch you off guard again, and I will murder everything you love, anypony you meet, anything you fight to protect I will break. You are the vessel, believe me, Mistakes, I can take anypony else in this wasteland, but for the moment you are what I'm stuck with. Your father was promising as well at first until he began the Chems and the drugs to try and kill me off. For years he followed me and slowly we were getting closer, I helped him amass your raider village and I guided his hoof, to spill blood left and right. Then you happened and he began the chems. Like if that would really affect me. He wished for me, I only gave them what he asked for!"

The clarity of his speech was infuriating and the stings of his words were cutting into me deep. I couldn't help it. I couldn't rid myself of him. "What the Fuck Are you!?" I yelled aloud. He laughed in my Head. "I am Me." My mouth answered me back, and my body jerked violently to show me that my body was not my own. Chills ran through me and sickness and fatigue chained me down. Blood clouded my vision and my mouth spoke sick words I could not understand. In tongues I had never heard before, things that no pony should ever speak. Blasphemies, which I couldn't understand. My head thought only. "NO! NO! I DONT WANT THIS! WHATEVER YOU ARE LEAVE ME BE, LET ME DIE! KILL ME! I DONT CARE BUT PLEASE! I DO NOT WANT WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER!" "Offer" my mouth spoke in my own voice. I immediately came to my knees and began to heave violently, I coughed and spat but nothing came until a knot in my throat gave way to vile and acid phlegm and Black Ichor ejaculated from my mouth. Ebony ooze stained the ground and I fell to my side as more seeped from inside me. I let it all spill to the ground and although it made me feel weak i felt better not sick anymore, and myself.

The fluid seeped and boiled, twisted maliciously, and angrily it slithered around and it began to ominously take shape. It stood taller than I, by a dozen hooves. It was roughly the shape of a hellhound. It stood on its two hind legs, long arms protruded from its shoulders drooping all the way to the ground, long hateful blades stuck out from where his hooves should have been; its coat was sleek like water and black like the night. Within it shone the stars of the night sky. The air around it was cold and dark as if the sun wasn't even out and around us all was grey, as if storm clouds had blocked out the sun. I could see no eyes, no mouth no face just emptiness. It didn't move anymore it stood still, but even motionless, it was still moving its form could not be still. Like the deepest reaches of the abyss. It reached out its hand to me, waiting for me to extend out my hoof, to accept it back. It said nothing. Whatever it was, I stood before Evil, the essence of wrong itself. Nothing about this thing was right. It was agony, death, and despair, the lives of ponies were nothing to it. It had seen the rise and fall of Equestria and would probably see another thousand empires, ages would be as nothing to it. No beginning, no end. It would be, and had always been.

I demanded "Why? Why go through the trouble then?" it answered so loudly, I thought my head would explode from the pain, it answered in a million voices at once and its words were quick and deep like a lightning bolt. It hissed its words violently at me and they hurt. I turned away from its voice, looking towards the broken mare, she had blood streaking from her eyes as well, crying violently trying to move but unable, i could only imagine how much she wished for death if only not to experience this. She looked to me screaming, begging for help. I couldn't even move. This was true fear. An abyss we could have never imagined.

BECAUSE WE CAN!... WE PLAY YOUR LIVES AS PAWNS BECAUSE WE WILL NEVER RUN OUT...WE DO NOT INTERFERE, BUT WHEN YOU CALL UPON US, WE LISTEN AND WE GRANT YOU WHAT YOU WISH, UNTIL WE ARE AMUSED. WE DESTROY AND WE ARE OUR GAME, AND WE KEEP FINDING NEW WAYS TO PLAY. YOUR PAIN YOUR EMOTIONS, THEY WAY YOUR KIND SO EASILY TURNS ON ITSELF! THE DESTRUCION YOU CAN AMASS IN YOUR FEAR AND HATE, IT PLEASES US, AND WE LAUGH AT YOU FROM OUR THRONE IN THE STARS! ALL WE MUST DO IS PROVIDE AND YOU DO THE WORK FOR US.

I put a hoof forward, and I said weakly. "I don't know what you mean by any of that, but I don't want it. I just wanted Sea Foam, and now that she's gone. I Want Nothing." the giant walked towards me and I could feel it looking at me. Then it did something I didn't expect it to do. It turned around, and walked away. It lumbered obscenely into the wasteland fading away, but not disappearing. It would never disappear. It would never leave. I shuddered at that thought, hoping I would never have to see that thing again with my own eyes, but I wondered if his words were true. If they were then I had killed Sea Foam, me. It removed the good in me and showed me what i could be as my other self. it frightened me. the power, the confidence it was exhilirating. maybe he was right. now that Sea Foam was gone why keep pretending like i was a good pony. i looked in the distance it left. and i began to regret telling it to leave me.i looked to ground and saw a laser rifle on the ground. maybe... maybe i should just stop. maybe i can see Sea Foam on the other side. i looked to the Broken Mare. maybe i should kill her too. why not? she's useless anyway. like she'll ever leave here alive without help. im doing her a favor.

She screamed and pointed a hoof at me.i instantly snapped out of my spell. i ducked only to see the Star Monster behind me arms outstretched above me i felt his cold embrace. he was trying to control me again. it laughed and i fired my rifle angrily at it, muttering between my teeth which clenched the rifle tightly " PHUK OFHT! ANF LEEF MEE HALOM!the lasers zapped through it. and it dissipated into a black mist staining the air around it. it began to rain around us. "Very Well..." echoed his voice in my head "until we meet again My Little Pony..." he giggled sadistically.

i could feel the warmth come back into my body. i felt alive again. now that he was gone my body felt entirely different lighter actually and clean. I trotted over to Sea Foam's Knap sack again to finish rummaging through her stuff. i wanted something to remember her by. i wasn't stealing, i was.. well yeah i was stealing i guess. In her sack i found odds and ends trinkets i didn't understand, some notebooks, some devices which I could see no use for, a map of the cloud city she was from, some weird headband with a circular slot on the front, and something else, something weird, it was a small statue of a buttery yellow Pegasus with a pink mane and three butterflies as her cutie mark. There were small animals around her and they all looked up to her. Literally, but i almost felt as if they actually looked up to her, admired her, she was a vision of kindness, everything i had not been. she looked down on them lovingly, and cared, i dont know how i knew or why i thought it, but she cared. she cared alot. about the base of the statue was inscribed "Be Kind." upon reading the inscription i felt my chest ache. and my emotions ran wild. i knew that i was not all evil. I had to make things right. i had to care. i had to be better. i had to Be Kind, For Sea Foam.

i didnt really find anything interesting in her sack, except a note which i didn't want to read (Respect her privacy i guess) and 2 small glass Orbs. They weren't glass actually i found out after i dropped one. and they weren't edible as i bit into the other one. But i found no use for them so i simply spat them back into the sack. I searched the dead Enclave ponies one by one. Eventually ridding them of any and all ammunition they wouldn't be needing, heck a found a sack full of healing potions and medical talismans. I also found a silvery headband to which I couldn't relate any purpose but I kept it with me hoping to get some caps in exchange for it soon enough. I slung the Laser rifles over my back and let my hind hooves bear the weight of Sea Foams sack and the ammo and trinkets inside it. Only one matter left to attend to.

i slowly trotted to the Broken mare. "ummm" i didnt know what to say to a pony i had tried to beat into oblivion hours ago. From the caked blood on her and the horrible bruises i had given it was hard to tell, but she was quite beautiful. her eyes Burned alive like Sapphires in the sun against her Pale coat. her long smooth strawberry mane covered them like a curtain. But i could see them look up at me. Scared. Obviously she was and she had a reason to be. "look im not gonna apologize to you for what i've done. you and your Enclave came here murdering us Left and right, so dont tell me you didnt expect danger, and dont tell me you didnt expect a fight." she looked full of words. I didn't care i wasnt done talking yet "But what you didnt need was what i did to you. or what happened to her. so for That and what just happened i Will apologize and give you a choice." she looked at me intently, still scared still hateful. "do you want me to take you to that thing up there." i motioned to the raptor floating above us "or will you let me make this up to you?" i pointed at her wings. she didnt say much. she didnt have to i knew if she got on that ship id never see her again until she came looking for me to put a bullet through my skull. and why did i expect her to accept my help, what grounds had i given her to trust me. the only thing she could take at value from me was that i could hurt things. she eyed the raptor longing for its safety then she looked down at the mud and cried. "i-i cant fly it now... my Wings are broken. i can't feel them, and when i move them, they paralyze me in pain. i feel like tearing them off, but i cant since you broke my body too asshole!" she sobbed. "why dont you just tear me apart like you did Windhooves' kid. be easier on both of us!"

She was right it would be easier. and i really didnt feel like dealing with her bitching. how would i heal her anyhow? im not a unicorn, i cant use magic. i have no caps on me so i cant take her to a clinic. why do i have to make decisions like this? "we must do Better." i had promised myself, and i had promised Sea Foam. i owed it to her. and the pale yellow pony. "Be Kind."i whispered.

i shoved a bottle of healing potion into the mare's mouth. it was pale purple. it smelled like fruits, although which i couldn't tell. she gulped it down. and i saw her body glow faintly. "Well now im not in near suicidal pain.." she muttered. "but im still broken from hoof to head." she was right nothing about how she lay looked healthy, her legs splayed out in 3 different cuts blackened. and her bruises almost as needed real medical attention.

I was not about to let her die here, alone. Like me.

i did the only thing a colt could do. i pushed her over on her side despite the protesting and cursing and screaming and managed to roll her onto my back. i would carry her to the nearest hospital.

"Are you Fucking serious?"

this whiny bitch was gonna whine the whole way to the nearest town, wasnt she? Luna Damn it. "Listen i can just leave you here to die if you'd like lady."she squirmed on my back trying to fall off, screaming in pain as she did so. "THEN FUCKING DO IT!" she dared me… this pony is getting on my nerves. I kept on walking praying to the goddesses to give me the patience to not leave her stranded here in the middle of the badlands. At least her whining might keep the Hellhounds away.

I tried to distract myself thinking of Sea Foam, wondering if she was proud of me, if this is what she wanted, if I was living up to her ideal of being Better? And I questioned my own motive, why did I want to be better? What was I trying to prove? im a raider, a murderer, and im carrying a half dead whiny mare across a barren hateful, and treacherous gorge by myself trying to find luna knows what town may be ahead to try and save this pony from the severe ass beating I had imparted on her in a-

A what? Demon possessed rage? Drunk fight? What was i? what had happened to me back there? Was something controlling me or am I just that vile? Maybe that's what it means to be a raider? Im not a raider though? Im saving this pony, arent i?

"and you killed how many?"

Fuck. "so im not entirely rid of whatever you are, am i?" I thought.

"well, you are, im just checking in on you to try and well, persuade you to my way of thinking." I groaned.

This demon keeps prodding at places id rather it not, this whiny mare keeps complaining as I try to save her. This sun keeps beating down on me, while I try to trot. Fuck can a colt catch a break?

BLAM

There's my break. I more felt it than heard it as the bullet chewed its way out the back of my foreleg. And I fought to maintain balance, not dropping the mare and trying to reach for my wazer wifle. I finally bit on it as two other shots rang past me. Whichever pony was shooting was a lousy shot. i put the mare down delicately as I could sensing that I was the target here, or else they wouldve shot her first. Or not I don't know I need to stop thinking.i set her down and lay another potion at her hoof. "use it, it might help you gain enough strength to get up, you might be able to escape that way." She looked up at me stupefied, at least that stopped her whining.

I got in front of her. taking another bullet to the left hind leg this time dropping me to my knee. I steadied the wifle. And I breathed tensely, I took aim at the pony who was firing at us from behind a rock. His rusty old rifle obviously worn to hell. He had to unjam it every other shot. Im guessing he saw my rifles and decided to take a potshot at a helpless pony carrying another pony by themselves.

Fuck S.A.T.S. I'm doing this one alone. Luna Grant me strength.

BRZZZT. BRZZZT. BRZZT BRZZT.

One, two, Miss, miss.

Dead pony.

I dropped the rifle at my side. I felt heavy I looked down to see, another bloody hole in my chest. Blood leaking from it like water from a punctured black coat contrasting the bright red fluid escaping my body like life essence. I felt weak. The iron I tasted in my mouth was all too familiar. I saw a shadow in the sand. Something was flying overhead. Great! first ambushes, now pegasi? Or vultures? Or demons? Hell maybe it was the princesses themselves come to take me to Tartarus. I don't give a fuck. Im going to pass out now.

But something caught me. The Pegasus mare held me in her hooves. And she wasn't whining. She shoved the potion into my mouth. As I gasped and fought for breath trying to tell her it was for her not me but she silenced me. "you need it right now idiot, besides;" she smiled at me, tearful "potions don't fix broken bones." She held me hard. " I've never in my time stationed in Neighvarro, fighting for the enclave, and much less down here in the Wasteland seen a pony put himself in harm's way, to save another pony. And I may want to kill you, but you need to live."

The shadow above us slowly circled, it hadnt attacked us yet. And for some reason I felt it wouldn't. the last thing I could push myself to say was warn the figure that if it tried to hurt her.. I'd.. I'd… do something bad. i blacked out. Back to dream world. The grey figure trotted towards us cheerfully. Not sure what happened next.

-000OOOO0000OOOO0000-

"Well, that's sort of what I meant by being Better." Sea Foam chipped in. she looked older now. We were back in the same plain in which I had dreamed her getting hit by lighting. "You're alive!" I cheered. I ran to her jumping to embrace her. And as I flew at her, I closed my forelegs to wrap around her, but they didn't. They slipped through her as if she was made of smoke.

I face planted into the grass behind her, embarrassed. "Oh, I guess this isn't real then." I more commented than asked. I looked around at the endless field where the sun shone dimly and kept its warmth ever present here. "Where am i?" I asked Sea Foam. "Is this the Everafter?" she nodded from side to side slowly "guess not huh? Well I didn't think I'd be seeing that place anyways." I smiled at Sea Foam. But she didn't smile back. She was stern. She trotted to me and sat down beside me, resting her head on my side.

"I miss you Sea Foam."

"I know Mistakes, I miss you even more. But it's not your time yet."

The breeze carried her words across the plains. The wind swayed the tall grass around us I could feel the cool wind in my mane letting it cover my face and hide my eyes. I could almost just stay here forever; wherever this was it was perfect.

"Mistakes, I need to confess something to you." She began

And I prepared for the worst. The air turned stale around me. The plains, reflecting my mood; I answered, "what is it?"

"I owe you an explanation Mistakes. For what the Enclave have done to your home. And for why I betrayed you."

Wait what? "you didn't betray me Foam, what are you talking about?" I giggled nervously knowing that the truth I knew and the truth I was about to hear would be two very different things.

There's a reason I came to the wasteland Mistakes, my father Wave Windhooves is a prominent member of the Great Pegasus Enclave council. The point is he was in the halls of Neighvarro's Military librarium, researching some old blueprints for a recycling Laser turret when he comes across notes from Mr. SWAG, he quickly dismisses his assistants and calls for me. So I rush there, and he tells me this fantastic tale of a pony known only as , and his interactions with the Office of Interministry Affairs. Apparently he was very close to Princess Luna before the War broke out.

When the war did breakout was the first Princess Luna employed, to do her biding collect intelligence and even deal under the table with the Zebra insurgents. was also apparently one of the founders of the Shadow bolts.

"Well why are you telling me this Sea Foam?"

She sighed heavily.

" was who helped recover The Black Book, and aided in the creation of the Megaspells, through the OIA and the MOP, taking advantage of Fluttershy's kindness, and using the Incident at Shattered Hoof Ridge to begin work on the Spell Bypass. Here's where the controversy begins some newspaper clippings father found accuse a group of Ponies from Luna's Private guard involved in the assassination attempt on Princess Celestia.

These ponies, were taking the blame for in our belief so he could continue his campaigns for Luna, but after the event he went on hiatus. The important factor is the things files and places had access to… and here's the best part his clearance is still active to this day. His Pipbuck which you now hold had access to all but the highest security terminals in all of Equestria exclusive access to Canterlot, and ministry buildings, and best of all: military installations, One in particular that very much interests the Enclave. Although his trail disappears often minus a couple of files of him in the OIA hub in Hoofington.

"This is where I was headed when I took refuge in the town you attacked. Father sent me to the wasteland with a small wing of Enclave. They were not briefed on the mission only told to protect me while I headed to Miramare station to rendezvous with another team researching raiders, to get the laydown of Hoofington. On one of our rest stops, I began to second guess myself. I couldn't believe what my eyes saw, the propaganda that the Enclave fed us made you all seem like monsters that deserved to die. And here in the middle of it all you came with WarSeed… and then something clicked.

WarSeed, I knew from one of the reports was in direct communication with Princess Luna and up until the forming of the shadow bolts. I thought to myself, there's no way this crazy pony before me could be a legendary war hero from over 200 years ago. but then it all went to shit."

'The wing of enclave had begun searching for me. And I tried to avoid them as long as I could misguide you out there in the desert. Until those two mares activated that Pipbuck and gave away my location to them."

"im sorry Mistakes. But I couldn't tell you the truth back then …. But now you see how bad a lie hurts?"

I couldn't take it all in. I didn't want to believe this. Sea Foam had a hidden agenda all along. She was plotting and dodging. Did she mean anything she had told me?

"so then was anything you told me true? Do you even love me Sea?"

-ooo0000ooo-

Level up

+1 Perception

New perk added: Lady Killer; 10% additional damage against female opponents, and unique dialogue options with members of the opposite sex.

**3. INTO THE FIRE**

_"the smell of adventure in the air."_

"Wake up."

My eye sight came back slowly I could see the small wooden shack that I had awoken in was cram packed with all sorts of stores and wares. Around me the musky smells of old cardboard and rusty metal was prevalent. This place looked like it stocked absolutely everything.

No pony was within sight, but I heard voices in the storage room behind me. I lay on a table. I could see blood stains on the pale wood. It was my blood. I also noticed a small rusty metal pail next to the makeshift surgery table, within in lay 3 smashed up metal balls covered in caked blood. Whoever pulled them out of me had done a pretty decent job at stitching me up. I felt like I had been hit by a manticore.

I checked my Pipbuck and it read "New Appaloosa" which was convenient enough I guess since we weren't dead. But that lead me to even more questions; where was i? Where was the mystery mare? Who brought us here and why? why did this damned device know where I was before I even did.

"mmmhph"

I turned to where the broken voice had come from. To my left there was a smiling ghoul pony, with a roll of bandages in her mouth.

I prepared to engage her when I noticed my Pipbuck, had tagged her as non-hostile.

I relaxed my stance and she kept bandaging me up, I apologized to her and she simply nodded.

A small silver unicorn filly with a mutilated horn trotted out of the storage room and looked me over.

"Well at least you could be a little nicer to Mommy; she did save you and your friend!"

I looked at the ghoul pony confused.

She kept smiling.

There was a small chalkboard that hung off her neck by a yarn.

It read "Hello, I'm Ditzy Doo!"

I laughed. Not at her, but at the fact she had put an exclamation mark after her name, as if she wanted to express how happy she was to meet anypony.

She giggled too. The filly was livid "HEY! DON'T LAUGH AT MOMMY!"

The Ghoul named Ditzy Doo quickly went over to the filly and held her tightly. She then wiped the blackboard with her hoof, and began scribbling on it and showed it to the filly. The filly relaxed.

"Ok then mommy, if you say so." She turned to me blushing. "My name is Silver Belle!" she held out a hoof, I shook her hoof. "My name is-"I began and thought better of it. "They call me Midnight."

She gleefully accepted the handshake.

Ditzy, quickly wiped her board off and began writing on it again. It took her a bit longer this time since the chalk was only so thick and she had a lot to write. From what I had already gathered she was mute, so I wouldn't bother being blunt and asking something so obvious.

"we brought you here after we saw you save the mare from that bandit, welcome to New Appaloosa!"

"Thanks Ms. Ditzy. I appreciate it and you too Silver Belle. And a million thanks for patching me up. I feel like I could take on a swarm of parasprites!" I boasted, they laughed at my arrogance but I guess it's as good that I felt better. I quickly remembered the reason I had even lived long enough to be rescued;

the mystery mare.

"Ditzy, what happened to the mare that I was with? Is she ok? Can I see her?"

Her cute little ghoulish face quickly turned into a concerned frown. I then noticed her eyes were a bit off center. She was looking in two different directions at once. And if I wasn't so worried about the mare I think I might've laughed aloud. Her patches of blonde hair were rustled up. And her eyes looked tired. Im sure she must've been up all night extracting the bullets outta me. She wiped her board and wrote:

"She's not doing too well; she's been hurt horribly and needs more specialized potions than what I have here."

I stared at her dumbfounded.

"What does that mean? Is she gonna make it, is there a way to fix her?

Ditzy erased the board yet again and wrote "she's gonna need an elixir."

"Which can only be found in a Fluttershy medical clinic." she wrote after having erased the board yet again.

Okay, so there was hope I hopped impatiently as I asked

"Is there one nearby, can you get one? What can I do to help her?"

Silver Belle pranced up to me and put a hoof to my shoulder.

"Whoa there mister, calm down. Mommy aint a fighting pony there's no way she could get it. And I know you're eager to help your friend, but it's really dangerous to go into one of those alone. Theres monsters and bandits and worse of all Raiders!" she shivered.

I looked down at her somberly

"I am a raider. And if that's all that's there I'll be back in no time."

Her jaw hit the floor as she took it in. "b-b-but raiders aren't good ponies. Mister you can't be, you're not a bad pony!"

I turned my face to steel to answer her "but I'm not a good pony, not yet kiddo, I'm just somepony who needs to Be Better."

Ditzy wrote nothing, she just listened; eyes tracking invisible objects everywhere at once. She then wrote patiently

"You're not the first pony I've heard say that."

"Go then, it's about a half day's trot south of here."

"It's a big yellow building. Good luck Midnight, Celestia be with you!"

-ooo000000ooo-

I had just begun my track when a buck about twice my age trotted out of the town after me

"Hey! Hey! Wait up! I hear you're headed to the clinic!"

He caught up to me panting. I paid him no heed and answered, "Yeah, I am, why?"

"You're not seriously planning on going there alone are you?"

I laughed at him. Half the town had stared at me as if I was some strange disease when I had forsaken the safety of the town to go venture out. But they didn't understand why. They couldn't

"yeah, I am what of it." I spat arrogantly at him.

He simply smiled "you got guts, that's something that's A-lacking here in new AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAppaloosa! He whinnied.

He was about a whole head taller than I was. His long auburn mane covered half his face. And I couldn't help but notice the ridiculous cowboy hat that lay slightly tilted on his head. He looked hardened but something about his demeanor gave away a light heartedness about him that I liked.

"muh name is Dusty." He ventured.

I guess he thought he could jump aboard the Fluttershy clinic salvage wagon just like that.

"why are you following me Dusty?" I asked slightly sarcastically.

"whoa whoa partner, whats with the animosity?"

I almost laughed at his ridiculous reactions. But I had to focus on the Mare now, she needed me and this bucks antics although much needed werent helping her.

"look I hate to be the buzz kill" I started "but I really need to get there to find an elixir for my friend,

shes hurt real bad, and its my fault. So unless you're here to help me, I suggest you stay outta my way, Dusty."

He kept pace but stayed quiet as he matched my pace. He made no more jokes and he was serious as stone now. He didn't say anything for a good hundred yards before I brought up his continued presence.

"soo….. why are you still here?"

"gotta fix your fuck up don't we?"

I stopped dead in my hooves. "My FUCK UP?" I screamed at him. He kept his cool as I got as tall as I could so I could be at eye level with him. "WHERE DO YOU GET OFF TALKING TO ME LIKE THAT?"

I pushed him I could feel my temper boiling I don't know why but I felt like he was accusing me; Judging me. I couldn't take it. Not more guilt. But then I realized that he was right. No matter how you put it, I was the reason she was this hurt. He kept walking and yelled back at me

"Standin' there like a dumb foal won't help your mare friend much will it?"

I quickly swallowed my pride and began to trot after him. I said nothing for the rest of the trip. I'm glad he didn't feel inclined to gloat about it either. He simply kept walking forward patiently as ever.

"I'm midnight." I answered

He smiled at me. There was something a bit off about this buck. I couldn't tell what yet.

"are you now?" he mocked.

"So this mare friend of yours, you must be pretty close to push yourself for her like this, she your special somepony? Or she just lucky enough to have family likes you?"

To be honest I wasn't quite sure why I was helping her. I just had to. Somepony had to. There was enough of ponies wishing, and hoping and praying and if all it takes is for somepony to stand up and rack a rifle to put some bullets in some heads then that's what I'll do. I told Dusty, and the entire time he just nodded I explained she wasn't my special somepony. Hell I didn't even know her name. I had a bad habit of not even asking the names of the ponies I was with. But they all wanted to know mine for some reason.

He looked off into the distance grimly. "Yeah you wouldn't be the first to say something like that. I heard many tyrants begin their bloody regimes with promises like that. Peace. Freedom. Equality. And all we had to show for them was the blood of hundreds on our hooves. Im not saying that your just like them. But what I am saying that walking a path like that, without a conviction or a virtue above your own, you will fall victim to the mistakes of the past. You will put yourself above your purpose if you don't put your purpose above yourself. The only reason I tell you is because you look like you could kill a pony without hesitation. Hell you look like you have. I can see by the look in your eyes. But that is a dangerous gift you have because if you don't wield it right you can end up hurting everypony you've cared for. All Ah'm saying is to know why you fight, so you can know when to stop."

"yeah…." I remembered Deadeyes… I remembered what had happened when I let myself just go, when I gave up control for power. I had killed Sea Foam and I had broken Mystery Mare. "Yeah I guess I should. I can't afford any more Mistakes."

"Just look at Red Eyes." He ventured

"He built his entire empire on the broken back of thousands of slaves, and planted his seeds of a better world on the blood of his Servants and he started it all on the promise of improving ponies' lives. So I guess what I'm getting at is don't let yourself fall down that road, you need to be better."

Be Better…. That's what the little yellow pony statue represented. A change, for the better. I had to be that change, she told me so. It just couldn't be chance, it was my fate.

"will you help me then Dusty?" I asked him.

"Help you do what?"

I resisted the urge to hoof him upside the head and explained. "I want you to help me Clean the Wasteland. I want to make Equestria better, I want to turn it into the Equestria my mother described to me." I awnsered with tears in my eyes. My vision pained and cloudy.

"Midnight are you ok?"

-o00000o0ooo0o0o-

"Midnight are you ok?" my mom looked down at me lovingly.

I felt her warm protection keeping me safe. Her beautiful mane flowed lazily in the breeze. Her passionate magenta eyes burned with a conviction that I could not fathom.

"Mom, why do the other ponies hurt me?" I remember asking her I could see my bruised face reflect on her eyes perfectly. I had taken a beating, why I don't remember. I had probably ignored some self-important colt or told somepony to buck off.

She smiled patiently and answered me "Midnight, the other ponies are scared of you. You're different than they are. You are capable of so much more you can be whatever you want to be, you aren't bound to this life of hate and hurt that you see here."

She paused awkwardly and the continued "my mother used to tell me of an Equestria before this one, where peace reigned for a thousand years, under the Princess Celestia. And every pony cared for each other and there was no Hate, no raiders, nopony died of starvation or disease. Guns didn't exist then. And grass covered the land. The Moon and Sun rose perfectly in sync with each other, and we all knew Peace. The skies were without clouds and the wind brought comfort. And it's because of ponies like those ponies who hurt you that the wasteland was allowed to become what it is."

"How did they cause it mommy?"

"They had power over other ponies, and instead of using it to protect them, they used it to oppress them, to keep their power. Although there was ponies like you Midnight, there was ponies who tried to do better by everypony. But they were scared of using their talent for good. Much like your father, which is why he named you Mistakes. Don't let that ever keep you down, though don't ever forget that you have the blood of Equestria's greatest Heroes in your veins, you are a descendant of the Goddesses themselves."

I looked up at her amazed. Stupefied I believed everything she told me. And I'll be damned if she wasn't right.

I held on to her tightly. I could feel her warmth being the only thing keeping me from the dreads of the wasteland. I let sleep wash over me. And let my mind wander from this acrid place. I knew in my heart this peace I was feeling could never last.

-ooo00000ooooo0000ooo-

"Hey.. guy… you, ummm ok there?" Dusty questioned concern showing on his face. The sky was dark, the clouds blackened out any moonlight that might've shown me a clue as to where we were.

We were in a cave. That much I could tell, the dank smell of mold and wildlife around me was a familiar smell and I heard the croaks and drops of the cave around me. We were all alone here. He sat there looking into the fire, waiting for me to talk.

"im sorry about that." I began "I don't often just doze off like that."

"ayup, aint often I see somepony whose past haunts them like that."

He had a point though I sighed in approval but what was most disconcerting was the fact that until tonight I had never remembered that conversation with my mother, hell I didn't even remember what she looked like until now. But it was so real. It was definitely my memory. I just don't remember having lived it. I heard a soft laughter whisper in the back of my mind. I wasn't sure if anything I thought was my own anymore. I lived in dread of somepony who wasn't even real.

"Yeah well, anyways. I guess were almost at the Clinic right?"

Dusty nodded in agreement,

"yeah I reckon we left town a little too late to begin our lil' mission but, if y'all want to risk a night time raid to the middle of nowhere who am I to argue?"

I actually almost considered it, had I not caught the sarcasm in his voice.

"look I cant be wasting my friend's time. She needs this elixir, and she's living on borrowed time!"

He looked over at me comfortingly.

"Well, shit. I know but if y'all go get yerself killed, y'know you can't help her much right?"

I sat up and walked to the entrance of the cave flustered. I missed Sea Foam. On a night like this her touch. Her soft coat, her taste….

I looked up longingly at the clouds. Dusty wasn't talking anymore. I figured he went to sleep. I wasn't too fond of him yet. I know he had a point with what he said. Anyway this night needed to end soon, I needed to find that elixir, I needed to save mystery mare. I needed to…. I needed to find a purpose… what am I doing, why am I risking my life for this mare… she did risk her life for me, and I needed to be better, but was I better? Had I been better when I let my rage take hold of me? Could I even be better? How could I hope to regain any sense of right or wrong? So far as I knew I was a pony who killed other ponies that got in my way. I was not a Hero I was not good. I was just conveniently shooting at who the vast majority of the wasteland wanted shot. I was nopony.

"THAT is why you must become better. Unless you wish this to be the most you can amount to; Mistakes, nothing more than Mistakes? Is that what you want to be?" sea foam's voice whispered harshly to my ear.

"no…. I know I must but what must I do?"

"finish the work I started in the badlands, go to miramare clear Mr. Swag's Name and maybe you might find something along the way that could make your wildest dreams come true."

I sat there for a bit. Pondering. The task to Hoofington, and back would be brutal. And if the Wasteland didn't get me, the Enclave would.

"why should I go on a wild hoofchase, for something which I don't even know exists, for some prize which cant grant me what I want most?"

Then something else came to mind "How am I even supposed to find any information, I can barely read. And that's a miracle on its own, much less access complex terminals to find whatever it is you are looking for.

"Look to the past for clues to the future….."

She whispered as she faded away and I slowly came back to my senses in the cave it was dank, musky, and suffocated. Dusty lay next to fire, half asleep half dead, drooling profusely on the already muddy floor of the already messy cave.

I just then noticed the vast space of the cave… who lived here an ursa minor?

I lay down to sleep by the fire, I wasn't sure how safe this was, and im pretty sure I didn't care.

Then the strangest thing happened. I noticed Dusty was no longer there. I looked around trying to see where he had gone. I couldn't see him. Was he trying to ambush me? I instinctively switched into S.A.T.S. and I saw him behind me. He was still Green for friendly under my E.F.S. I swtiched it off and whispered "What are you Doing Dusty?"

He lowered his head to my neck level and nibbled my ear Softly…

I was about to protest when I felt strangely warm and comfy…

My body untensed and I felt my muscles relax… I felt his warm breath cover my neck as he slid his head down towards my shoulder and kissed it softly. I wasn't aware I was into Bucks… I actually don't think I am. But this feels nice, Very nice.

"you know Midnight, you're a quite feminine looking Colt… you know.. someponies might even think you're a mare at first sight… a very well made mare at that…

"Dusty What the fuck?" I stammered, slightly embarrassed, and overtly annoyed.

"look man, I umm appreciate the interest but im going to have to say no." I stuttered. My body was excited I will admit but I KNOW that I don't want to be mounted by anypony. Im sure of it.

"well, maybe I can change your mind?" he whispered into my ear as he slid his hoof down towards my nethers and gave me a couple tugs. I'm not gonna lie, I felt good.

"Im sure this isnt your first time enticing somepony is it Dusty?" I gasped

He smiled deviously. I could feel his hot breath on my back now. If I didn't stop him im sure I'd be feeling more than just that.

"seriously though, I appreciate the Hoofjob but, that's as far as you're getting." I Commanded as I threw him off and shook myself off. He looked me over sadly and said "your Loss, my little pony." He teased.

"yeah, right…. ." I walked over to a corner on the opposite side of the cave and set my self down.

"Try that again and ill rip your Dick off." I warned "Goodnight."

He lay down and smiled "goodnight!"

-000ooooo0ooo0o0o0-

*BANG BANG BANG*

Click...click BANG

"WAKE UP GODDESS DAMN IT, MIDNIGHT!"

Dusty screamed at the top of his lungs as a hail of gunfire rippled through the cave entrance.

I felt the ground erupt as a nearby explosion shook the ground to its core.

"What the fuck is going on!?"

I peered out of the cave long enough to notice Pony shaped metal monsters spewing explosives and fire at the Fluttershy Clinic, inside i could see a band of sadistic looking ponies, very heavily armed sadistic ponies firing at the steel ponies, and at us as well from the gunshot wound in Dusty's neck. It was barely a graze but a bullet wound nonetheless.

He shouldered his Rifle once more, and took aim at the Clinic. Fired twice and lay it back down. His injured neck was making aiming his rifle impossible. I made him lay down and took up the rifle myself. Since the steel ponies seemed not to take notice of us, i concentrated on the raiders. One by one i cleaned up the work that the tank ponies were too overzealous to complete. My aimed shots were doing more than the steel ponies' wanton destruction. I needed them to stop demolishing the clinic with their overpowered tactics, i mean was this necessary? The entire reception area of the Clinic was obliterated to smoldering rubble and a couple of incinerated corpses. I looked over to Dusty who had resigned himself to laying down inside the cave cursing the goddesses and everything else.

"hey, Dusty it looks clear, im going to head out there to get those idiots to stop pounding that clinic."

He simply rolled over, and spat more curses. Im guessing he didnt like getting shot.

"and i think im going to bring you back a healing potion or two." I muttered.

He rolled over and smiled

"N-now that there'll be something."

I mad-ponied him "Dusty you're a great actor you know?" i spat at him as He smiled

"And im lazy." He added.

I began to suspect the bullet wound was even less severe than i had thought. I was also amazed that the raiders hadn't even managed to graze me while i killed them off. Then i thought about Dusty's acting and began to suspect that they might not be down in there. Im betting those bucketheads would simply waltz in there thinking their grenades and missiles would be really useful right next to each other in a small enclosed building. Sure great idea. I had half a mind to simply let both parties go at it. And loot the losers. Im sure i'd find something useful.

But i couldn't just let them die.

i trotted my happy flank over there and patted one of them on the shoulder.

"Hey, Steel pony thing you can stop blowing up that there building, you know, they've gone inside."

It paid me little heed as it continued to fire away on its monstrous cannon.

Maybe he didnt hear me.

"Hey!" i shouted as i tapped his head "Hey! Im talking to you!"

It immediately turned to me and knocked me over with its cannon, it froze in place. Cannon at the ready i recovered my footing as quick As i could And braced for imminent death. When i heard the Raspy steel voice beam from the Steel Pony as if i were hearing it through a speaker.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!"

He turned one direction then another. Almost as if he didnt notice me. Then i realized he was half a head taller than i was and when he moved to look around his neck didnt move. His head turned with his body.

So i backed up into his line of sight, and hopped a couple times to get his attention. He finally craned his armored head towards me and dismissed me as quickly as he had noticed me. He turned back to firing his cannon at the clinic, smashing into it a crater the size of a large colt.

I banged on his helmet again and shouted

"You're gonna destroy that place if you keep bombarding it like that!"

He was stubborn.

"Better that than a raider Hideout, Local. Trust me."

"Now Everypony flanking on the left Team go through the front, secure the entrance and then head on in." he ordered and the other dozen or so Steel ponies began to trod about lumbering towards thier positions.

The Clinic looked in piss poor shape, from whatever the wasteland and 200 years hadn't already done to it, these clowns had certainly taken a shot at. With horrific results. The entire second floor was sagging. It looked as though it couldn't support its own weight. Im guessing the rockets must have hit something vital inside the clinic like a support beam or two.. ...or ten.

"You Need To Stop This!" I screamed "I NEED TO GET IN THERE BEFORE IT FALLS!"

The deaf steel pony kept up his barrage and the tunder of his cannon echoed across the wasteland his shells pulverizing the delicate building. I needed to get in there and I needed to quickly

"fuck it"

I said I trotted as fast as my hooves could take me, I would not lose another one to this senseless wasteland. I felt the earth rumble around me as their cannon fire rattled around me, only a handful of the steel ponies noticed me running in. and I heard one mares voice call out "HOLD YOUR FIRE!" and I will admit that the gunfire and explosions diminished but the other steel assholes kept firing.

"KEEP THE LINE, DO NOT STOP FIRING. ANY PONY THAT DOES NOT EXECUTE MY STANDING ORDER WILL HIMSELF BE EXECUTED."

The short intermission was enough for the raiders to gather their wits and rally their forces they started firing back at the Steel Ponies

"Iron Hide STOP THIS! This is not what the steel rangers stand for!"

He turned to the mare who had originally ordered for the cease fire, and turned his cannon to her.

"Shut your Whore mouth Candy Stripes! I will not allow you to betray us like that traitor Steelhooves did. You will not disrupt the order and ideals that we stand for!"

He fired twice.

Both shots too slow, the mare jumped out of the way in time to fire back two of her own shots. Except her weapon was much louder and much more effective. Her shot was like a missile except instead of one there were eight.

His body became a bloody mess of Steel and fire.

His comrades furiously turned to the hostile party and proceeded to open a furious can of Whoop ass on these steel rangers. I was mighty grateful to that mare for this chance.

"Go now, While you have a chance!" she screamed. Im not sure to who but I took heed to her advice.

The raiders were now shooting at all of us. I guess that was now my problem.

"Buck it" I muttered.

And time and space slowed down for me as I began to feel the adrenaline flow through my body. My hooves no longer my own. I jumped past the crude barricade they had set up near the entrance to the clinic. The decrepit sandbags sheltering them from the shrapnel of the steel rangers explosions. There were at least a dozen of them left in here. All of them were armed.

I landed in the middle of them I had about 3 to my right and 8 to my left. There was one behind the reception desk. He took cover as soon as I had landed. Fuck him he'd be last then.

The rifles were drawn and in the time it took them to raise their rifles I had already began discharging mine,which reminded me how estatic I was that the Wazer Wifle had a bad habit of disintegrating whomever I hit with it. I jumped to avoid a bullet from the left quarter, and just barely ducked under a Buck who was swinging his rifle at me.

I came up full force and uppercut him in the jaw, with the barrel of the wazer wifle, and fired twice for good measure, spinning on my forehoof to backhoof slap the other pony who had shot at me from the left. I felt the satisfying thud of my rifle against his head and down he went. I backflipped onto him and felt my hooves crush his jaw underneath. A bullet tore into my arm and I dropped my left rifle. I flipped forward and took aim as I spinned at the mare behind me. I shot three times. Each shot melting through her. I hit the floor hard as S.A.T.S. disengaged. I could see the remaining ponies had fled further into the clinic. And I could no longer see "hidden behind the counter pony". I checked my E.F.S. (Eyes forward sparkle) For any red ticks on my radar. None in this room, the nearest one was dead ahead in what looked like a waiting room.

I could feel the blood trickle from my arm. I couldn't raise it. Fuck. The tick mark was moving away further into the clinic. Was I being led into a trap? I don't have the time for this. Why does every pony here feel the overwhelming urge to fuck with me. S.A.T.S. was ready again seems like it's Time to clear rooms. The clinic was small I could do this. Outside the sound of explosions and desperate screams filled my ears. They were close. But the raiders were in here, Why was it so hard to concentrate? I looked down at the puddles of blood. I could see Sea Foam's Reflection behind me in the puddle… she was smiling. I turned around quickly and checked the room, there was nopony there.

"im fucking Crazy." I thought to myself.

Bang. The shot rang across the waiting room. She came up on my E.F.S. I couldn't really see her, but I knew she was there.

"I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" I shouted into the waiting room. I waited a couple seconds I saw some shuffling out of the corner of my eye. I ran to the red dot on my Map. I was a few hoofsteps away, and closing. I could almost feel her nervousness. It was odd to not be attacked for once. I didn't like this one bit. I stopped inches from where the small triage room door was. It was left only slightly ajar enough to peep through and maybe shoot through if need be. She whimpered as I came to the door, what was I thinking? this filly could shoot me dead from this distance. I need to back off I thought to myself.

"Hey, there Filly, whats wrong? Why are you in here?" I dared ask

I simply heard sobs.

"Please… just leave, please I don't want to die…" the filly pleaded harshly…almost bitterly

"I'm Midnight, I can take you outta here if you'd like, I can take you to a town with nice ponies, who will help care for you."

I was hoping new appaloosa would care, but at the moment my doubts were my own. She still hadn't shot me which was a good thing, but my E.F.S. still had her pegged as red so I wasn't going to ease myself down yet. I kept the wazer wifle at bay. hurt as I was I could only fire one of these things… damn they were light… im grateful for that much.

"Please mister just go away, I don't wanna die…." She cried hysterically the closer I got, the more she cried.

"im not gonna hurt you." I uttered, in vain as I opened the door to look inside. And at once I knew why the filly had been so frightened.

Strapped to her chest was a large vest covered in wires and bags, it was hugging her tighter than a drum. It blinked silently, and darkly flickering like the flame of the fillie's life. I could see now the terror in her eyes, and I understood the hostile intent.

She was bawling her eyes eye out "WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME BE!?" she screamed as the Bomb flickered rapidly then its small red flame burned steadily and I was hurled across the room like a ragdoll. My ears rang loudly, I couldn't hear a thing, I looked my self over, shrapnel had scarred my body horribly. I was bleeding from everything it seemed… I need some sort of potion I was bleeding too much. The blood pooled on the floor around me. Why was I always being tossed around? My mind blackened and I fell in and out of consciousness, fighting to stay awake I raised my rifle at an approaching shadow and fired wildly at it, missing every shot, my sense failing me I dropped my arm as the weight of the rifle finally took its toll on my arm. The dark corners of the room were swirling around me. And I began to fear that this dimly lit moldy hellhole would become my grave. I could see the shadow was now accompanied by other shadows and they had circled around me like a flock of crows waiting for me to die. I heard murmurs and whispers. One of them kicked my midsection, and I spat blood at their feet, they cried out in unison. I could barely focus my eyes enough to make out their shapes. It was a group of filthy tired looking ponies, much like myself except in the fact that they were covered in blood, their own or somepony else's I couldn't tell.

"what the hell do you want?"

I inquired quite miraculously considering the state I was in. one of the ponies bent his head down to the ground to lick my blood off the ground.

The tallest shadow in the group muttered "Blood"

And the shadows around him echoed his word "Blood!"

They all bowed their heads to him, and then slammed their faces into the ground to suck all the blood they could off the ground.

"SSSStay awake pony! We need you alive the blood to be warm… we need to keep bleeding."

What the fuck am I a part of? Are these ponies serious? My blood? I need to stay awake he's got a point on that. But I feel like the more blood I lose the harder it is to stay awake. I need to get up I need to fight.

Engage S.A.T.S.?

YES! yes engage fucking S.A.T.S. what kind of a fucking question is that?!

do you not see me fucking bleeding out? Oh wait no you don't because you're a fucking computer… why do I yell at inanimate objects? Oh yeah….. because im not a smart pony.

"Head 95% Head 80% Head 80% Head 95%" the bright green letters painted my vision above each outlined figure. I could see in that slowed down state the madness in their eyes. And the inequinity of their bloodlust. These were monsters… they had tied a bomb to a filly as bait… who carries around a bomb slave?

4 fiends dead. Ok I could live with those odds, and so far S.A.T.S. hadn't failed me.

But I had used up all my magic and the targeting system wouldn't be up for a while. I needed to stay up long enough to fight them off.

But I didn't need to. One of their heads exploded into chunks of flesh and blood, the other vampires turned towards the direction of the gunfire as another of their numbers fell to a well aimed shot. I saw out of the corner of my eye, a blood soaked pony in a black cowboy hat trot towards us slowly putting down his rifle at every shot to bite the lever down that loaded another round into the chamber. He then flicked it up to eye level and fired it off, with amazing accuracy. Killing off the last 2 ponies in the room as he spat out the rifle at my feet and lay next to me.

"I told ya partner, laying there aint gonna help your mare friend too much now will it?"

I looked up at him with what I can only imagine was the most dumb-founded face that The Wasteland had ever seen.

"Dusty, im dying…" I told him

He looked me over, and bit his lip then looked me over again, before finally coming to a conclusion.

"I can fix that." He sounded pretty confident.

"o-ok then"

He pulled a long syringe out of his saddlebag, and jammed into my flank

"OWWW FUCK!"

"that's Hydra." He said. "It Should help for now."

Dusty then shook of his hat and I finally saw his horn.

"You're a unicorn?" I asked weakly.

"im many things little guy." He said as he brushed my hair to the side. I was burning up I don't know if that's a fever from shock or if I was blushing.

He put his horn to one of my wounds, and then closed his eyes. As his horn glowed the wound began to seal up and I felt the area around it go numb. He was healing me.

"Dusty, you're healing me? I- i- don't know what to say….Thank you…" I said softly.

He smiled one of his sly smiles…

-0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0-

"Well,I feel a million times better." I said as I shook myself down. My cuts and bruises healed I began my trek through the cleared hospital. From what I could gather we had cleared the hospital, well… I had cleared the hospital while dusty sat and cried like a foal in the cave and then healed himself.

"YOU HAD HEALING POWERS ALL ALONG!?" I yelled at him. Suddenly realizing what that meant

"Well yeah but I mean getting shot still hurts asshole!" he yelled right back

"And besides I healed you too, so the least you could do is be grateful!"

He had a point. I consented as we dug through every first aid kit, in the clinic stocking up on potions and chems. the chems I would sell, and the potions, well at this rate I'd use em all up by the end of the day.

"where the fuck could this elixir be?"

Dusty dug through some books on a counter and said

"I think I know where to find it."

He brought me the book, and put his hoof on the word "EMERGENCY ROOM"

"oh, yeah, that makes sense" I said

We headed into the room slowly not knowing what to expect. Only to find it was another large waiting area. it led into several smaller rooms, I had no idea where to even start.

there was a small map at the right side of the entrance from which we entered. it laid out the entire floor plan in an easy to read picture map. I saw the symbol for medicine.

"There it says paharmacy" I said

"Pharmacy" Dusty corrected. "anyways, that's where we want to go."

"what? no it doesn't there's a p there why would it sound like an f?" I asked.

"Midnight, who taught you how to read, cuz I reckon they done fucked that up."

I looked at the ground embarrassed "No pony taught me, I learned"

Dusty looked away, hiding his eyes rather than apologizing. He said nothing until we reached the paharmacy.

My E.F.S. painted a green tick mark in the room in front of us, it read "Experimental surgery"

"Somepony's in there." I motioned towards the door.

Dusty raised his rifle to it but I pushed it down.

"its not Hostile." I told him. As far as I could tell it wasn't.

The air around us felt heavy and I could hear whispers in the distance. I re-checked my E.F.S. only the green tick mark was present. The closer we came to that small door the louder the whispers grew. Its as if the lights in the room were dimmer closest to that room, as I opened the door I heard in my mind a great and powerful voice.

"WE are the great and powerful Goddess."

In the middle of the dark room there stood an ebon unicorn about a half head taller than Dusty. Its wings spread out in a wide stance to overshadow us. It stood as tall and fearsome as it could. My E.F.S. still had it pegged as green.

"What are you?" I asked.

"its one o' them Unity Alicorns." Dusty interrupted.

"INDEED PONY YOU ARE CORRECT WE ARE THE GODDESS! WE HAVE COME TO AID THE BLACK PONY IN HIS QUEST." The thing neither spoke nor showed emotion it simply stood there. Almost as if it wasn't speaking but was being used to relay the message.

"Goddessdamn that's getting annoying." I said

The Alicorn floated a small silver lined vial towards me.

"THIS IS THE ELIXIR WHICH YOU SEEK TO SAVE YOUR FRIEND." The alicorn said? Im not sure said is the right word, more like transmitted. The more I conversed with it the less comfortable I felt. Little by little I felt it's intentions were less than noble.

"how do you know about mystery mare?" I ventured

"THE GODDESS KNOWS ALL" she resounded in my brain.

Owww ok, egotistic much?

"Well, in any case, thank you, goddess?"

It came out as more of a question than a comment. I was expecting a price for this unexpected help.

"WE DO NOT AID ANY IN VAIN, PONY. THERE IS A PRICE TO PAY FOR THIS SOLUTION TO YOUR PROBLEM."

"What do I owe you?"

The alicorn took a step towards me. And it didn't take E.F.S. to figure out it was not my friend. Dusty raised his rifle to it, and it turned its head in his direction, it's horn lighting up, at once crushing Dusty's rifle into oblivion.

"WHEN WE CALL UPON YOU TO SOLVE OUR PROBLEM, BLACK PONY, YOU WILL KNOW. AND YOU WILL HELP US."

"and if I choose not to?" I asked defiantly

The alicorn floated the crushed up rifle to my face and left it there for a second

"YOU WILL." The goddess assured me.

LEVEL UP

GUNS +5,ENERGY WEAPONS +5,SURVIVAL+5,MEDICINE+5,SPEECH+5

New Perk:

Toughness

You take 30% more resistance to damage.

**4. Labyrinths**

_"I know you're In There!"_

"what do you need from me, though?" I kept asking the Alicorn.

It didn't bother explaining or retelling or even paying attention to me for that matter.

"YOU WILL WHEN I ASK COME TO OUR AID. YOU WILL SERVE UNITY."

And with that it vanished in a purple flash into thin air. Literally vanished.

"Now I know the purple ones can teleport too, but Ah reckon I've never seen a black one,Damn…."

Dusty whistled sharply to emphasize.

"Fuck it we got the Elixir, lets head back to new Appaloosa." I said cheerfully;

Blissfully unaware of the exchange the "Goddess" would extract from me.

But at that point it time it didn't matter much we were making our way out of the building when Dusty nudged me

"hey what's the deal with you?" I asked, irritated, confused and definitely in a rush.

"you know I did just save your life there, midnight." He whispered into my ear. I heard the rattle of cannon fire and fully automatic gunfire in the outskirts of the clinic. It seems that the battle between the steel ponies was raging still, and I was not about to walk out there and becoming a steaming pile of Mistakes.

"Let's let them fight it out, while we wait in here, besides night isn't too far…" he smiled.

"Dusty is my flank the only thing on your mind?" I asked annoyed on top of anxious and sore, and tired.

"it was when I saved you." He joked.

"so your inherent desire to Fuck me, was the predominant reason you saved my life?" I asked insulted.

"Mostly" he laughed.

Celestia help me from stabbing this pony to death.

"you need help, Dusty, im serious." I said.

He smiled widely

"not that kind of help, and certainly not from me!"

He lay his head on his hooves down, and sullenly stared at the ground.

-0o0o0o0o0-

We went to lay by one of the emergency lights that light the interior of the clinic at night. It's soft red glow lighting enough for us to see each other and the outline of the room, but dark enough to not be blinding. The clinic almost looked peaceful. As if tomorrow, we could visit the patients and wish them good health. And continue on our merry little lives. As if.

"Mistakes… look into the past… in memories we find our greatest reservoirs of strength."

It was Sea Foam's voice. She had told me something like that before. How I kept thinking in my head. How do I even use these I thought about the orbs I began to look through Sea's belongings when I came upon the Headband from earlier and it finally clicked.

The orbs fit perfectly into the small circular slot on the headband. I slid one of the orbs into it and it clicked into place glowing faintly. I was anxious to put in on my head, as I had no clue what this thing did. But Sea Foam's voice reassured me I'd be ok.

"What if I die?" I asked her softly

"That's just stinking thinking." She said softly.

I placed it on my head and I became somepony else. All was dark and then I was submerged into it.

-o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o-

"DAT FLANK…" I whispered softly.

There in front of me was the grandest most regal flank I had ever seen. I was barely minding who it belonged to.

I felt a sharp jab to my side, I turned to see a gorgeous mare give me a stare of Death, and maybe of hurt?

"That's the princess' flank you're staring at Sour Note!" she hissed at me.

The mare's Light blue eyes burned into me and they were hidden by the occasional fling of her long Jet black, silver lined hair.

Why wasn't I checking out this mare instead?

"Yeah, I realize that grapes." I hissed right back.

A response which only earned me another sharp jab to the side. "That's Spiked Grapes to you, bitch."

She was fiery I liked that. So I was following Princess Luna around, but to where. And who was i?

"I will never understand you Sour Note, how can you be so care-free at a time like this?" Spiked Grapes asked me.

"That's because Sour Note only has 3 priorities." A gray Pegasus began to comment as Spiked Grapes rolled her eyes.

"Equestria, Luna  
and Flanks…." My voice, or rather Sour Note's and the gray Pegasus' chorused. And then they high hoofed.

"See RipChord understands me, Grapes." Sour Note Beamed.

Spiked Grapes simply ignored us and kept walking

"Did any of you pay attention to what the Princess said?" Spiked Grapes inquired.

"Yeah, I did" Sour Note's tone darkened "And i don't like it one bit."

"Well what choice do we have, You heard rainbow Dash's report! Dragons and griffons? Soon we'll be fighting the buffalos and every other living thing in Equestria if The Ministry Mares don't convince them to not turn on us as well." A smaller White unicorn mentioned with great concern."

A tall black earth buck stood next to them, quietly and slowly turned his attention to the smaller white unicorn with a red leaf for a cutie mark

"Look at them worry over dragons and griffins, Bitch We're . Luna says we got this, we got this."

My host agreed with him whole heartedly.

"Warseed has a point." my host stated,

"Luna would not have forgone the normal courtesies of consulting with the ministry mares if this wasn't a most urgent case, and if our expertise wasn't necessitated. Im not at all implying this is easy, or right for that matter. But we pushed aside our right to do the right thing, when we vowed to become , for the good of Equestria." I said solemnly

The ponies around me looked at me and regarded my words each of them making their own opinions before heading up to their respective chambers to sleep. I could use some sleep myself.

They all left quietly to prepare for the task at hoof. The quiet peace of Luna's castle by the sea was uninterrupted and serene. Sour Note closed his eyes and sighed deeply

"I hate this war…" we whispered

A warm sensation covered me as another pony nuzzled my neck.

"You're not the only one."

It was Spiked Grapes. I gulped hard, as unexpected as this was it was nice. I straightened myself up and turned to her quickly

"Hey Grapes, beautiful night at sea isn't it?" I nervously chattered.

"You know I like you Sour Note. I have for a bit now. I felt that I should let you know. I've liked you since I saw you perform at the last Galloping gala, and I agree that those snotty ponies had no right to kick you off stage." She giggled.

"yeah, I mean I can see their point that maybe my guitar was a bit over powering but they asked me to play!"

Spiked Grapes interrupted "Rainbow Dash asked you to play."

I was sighing in my head, what did these ponies having their alone time have to do at all with Sea Foam's research? They had said they were . That's for sure, but I thought was a pony. Was he a collection of ponies, a super monster pony or some Luna worship cult? I don't know. But the plot thickened as I ignored most of these 200 year old memory ponies obsess over hearts and hooves day bullshit.

"I Like you too Grapes." Sour Note admitted.

"About fucking time!" I thought.

From how Hot, and excited he felt after staring at her I'm amazed He hadn't tried anything.

"You could do so much better than me, Grapes." Sour Note tried.

"If I kissed you, could we still be friends?" Grapes asked sheepishly, blushing heartily.

Do it Sour Note, fuck it. Kiss the Mare!

He reached for it, and kissed her.

And I got to sit here and share in it with them... Thanks Ponies you have turned being the third wheel into an entirely new experience.

They were both caught off guard when an alarm blared and they both pushed off each other and reached for the nearest weapon.

"It's the Intruder alarm!" Grapes alerted Sour Note who had already turned to a locker by one of the heavy arches that decorated this open air passageway. Sour Note opened it and floated out a hefty rifle and a large magazine with his magic. The gun floated gently by his side, covered in an orange glow. We took the magazine and fitted it in tightly into the receiver, then I sighted in quickly and through the scope I saw a Zebra running with a small package nuzzled in her mouth.

"SHOOT HER!" a guard from Luna's guard screamed as he ran to Sour Note.

"but I can't that's Zset!" Sour Note hesitated.

"Shoot the zebra !" the guard yelled.

Sour Note sighted in the rifle and slowed his breath, his left eye closed as the right eye channeled only the sight through the scope, and we slowly traced the crosshair over the zebra's back.

"FIRE! SHOOT SOUR NOTE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, SHOOT IT!" a myriad of voices swarmed me, or us I don't know. They were everywhere so Sour Note did the only thing that made sense.

The bullet left the chamber with the Force of a hammer on a rotten apple. The deafening roar of the rifle cancelled out the fervent cries of the ponies around Sour Note and the ringing in our ears was numbing. But that didn't distract me from the scene I saw through the scope. I saw the zebra turn her head toward us, and the raging projectile eviscerate her torso mid-trot dropping her into a rolling bleeding screaming mass of flesh. I heard screaming all around me as everypony caught sight of what I'd done, I felt guilty. I'd never shot a pony in the back, while they fled. We dropped the heavy rifle letting it thud onto the stone terracotta. I didn't want to fire it again. It was surprisingly accurate, and the fact that after murdering a zebra in such a horrible manner with it I could still admire it, I felt even more ashamed.

"ZEBRA TRAITOR!" the words echoed in the air around us. Princess Luna walked over to me, and nuzzled me softly

"Sour Note, are you ok?" the princess asked with sincere concern. I couldn't answer and although I had only met the shy zebra a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't help but hold on to the feeling that I had done something wrong.

"Is this why I joined , princess? I dared aloud.

The Alicorn stared into my soul with those piercing Night sky eyes of hers, her mind racing through thoughts that only the 2nd most important pony in Equestria was privy to.

"I'm Sorry Sour Note, to have put you in this position, but you're right this is why I called you here."

She turned to the rest of us

"All of you have been called upon to defend Equestria, and although you may not like the nature of your duty, this is it. You WILL defend Equestria at ALL costs that includes its Servants, its Secrets and this Castle."

We all looked at each other unsure of which path this course of action would take us down.

"It is most unfortunate that Zset make her escape with the Black Book. But it is to be turned over to Miss Rarity of the Ministry of Image, although I do understand your repercussions at having gunned down a friend Sour Note, but this is your duty, to defend Equestria from its enemies and at the moment Zset made her decision to take that book, she made the decision to betray Equestria."

Maple Leaf could not stop crying. She had lost her best friend. We were all silent.

"Ahem, your Majesty, we found something, on the body." One of the guards interrupted.

"What is it my subject?" Luna's attention was instantly caught "Well…?"

"The object Zset was carrying, Majesty, was an Explosive; she seems to have been running it away from the castle. It's been disarmed but we suspect the trigger pony must be nearby."

"CELESTIA FUCK!" I heard myself scream as I jumped on the guard who had told me to shoot her.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" I screamed as I slammed my hooves into his head I saw his eyes wide with horror. I began to pound his face in. until the blood sprayed the walls around us.

"Stop Sour Note! STOP!"

But my body did not stop. And as my anger dissipated and the attack stripped the guard of his armor, I noticed that the guard was different. A talisman hung off his neck, in the shape of a pony. I bit it off violently, and with a magical flash his body was transformed. His coat was white with black stripes and his wings were no longer. He had never been a guard for Luna's Castle but an undercover Zebra. In his breastplate we found the Black book in question. It's dark Magicks spiking and swirling around it. It's cold dark aura tainting the air around it. Out of his uniform rolled out a small blinking device, unmistakably our detonator in question.

"I- I am so sorry Sour Note." Luna addressed us. "I can't say how sorry I am."

"Yeah, tell that to Zset." My host said as he walked away to his quarters. He trotted quickly and heavily. I was unaware of the sounds around us. In the Distance I heard Rainbow Dash ask aloud,

"What Happened?"

I slammed the door behind me. I heard quick hoof steps towards my door. And three loud knocks

It was Spiked Grapes, "Sour Note! Talk to me! Are you ok? Sour Note!"

Waking from a memory orb, was at the least hard. At the most a fucking mind trip.

I felt like I had been asleep in the most uncomfortable position possible and then woken up with a violent jerk.

"fuck." Was all I could say.

"you awake there, little guy?" Dusty prodded.

"yeah…" I think.

"memory orbs can be a bitch, what was that one about?" he asked.

I didn't know if explaining it to him would be revealing Sea Foam's Secrets or her research or whatever, but to be honest I needed help to sort that out. Im not sure why… why did it matter? These ponies died two hundred years ago what consequence could their lives have on ours?

"Dusty." I started as I noticed he put his horn to the memory orb and trailed off into the dream world.

Outside the monotonous rattle of gunfire had died down. Whoever was winning that fight was paying dearly, in blood. It seems that every price we pay here in the wasteland is in blood. I was left alone in the clinic to stare at my hooves in boredom, while Dusty was transfixed within the memory orb. Lucky bastard. Outside the gunfire had died down to a couple of controlled burst of machine gun fire. I could not wait to loot the bodies!

What was I saying? These were mares and colts that I had seen living and breathing not hours ago, and now they were not more to me than a source for scavenging? What was I becoming? I needed somepony to talk to. I hefted up Dusty's broken Rifle which to my relief had a Scope bolted onto the barrel. I squinted my eyes through the scope I could barely make out the forms in the waning hours of daylight that crept through the brush that surrounded us. They would occasionally risk revealing their position with a burst of gunfire only to be answered back with hostile collateral. I could barely make out the uniquely decorated helmet of the mare who had saved my hide earlier today. She silently pointed her hoof at spots in the bush where her troops would fire upon. It seemed she was trying to draw out the Other steel ponies into the open.

To her right a larger pony would bend his head to whisper to her. She would nod and re-direct ponies or disapprove and remain firm in her decision. The larger pony seemed infuriated when she would do this and I could tell by his body language he was not cooling down. She ignored him regardless and kept her attention on her squadmates and the enemy. Huh, that mare had a heck of a situation on her hooves. I wish I could have a way of letting her know that there was better cover in the cave but from here to there under these conditions, and with little cover except the thick shrubbery in which her opponents were also taking cover just didn't seem smart. But hey, im not a smart pony. And as far I was concerned, I owed that mare a favor. And I'd be bucked if I didn't return it.

I made my way out into the tall grass, thanking Luna for my diminutive build which at this moment was proably saving my flank from being shred to bits by bullets or worse… explosives. that's one thing I had noticed had been cut back on… explosives… Why? Who cares, shit goddess damn explosives that could blow my fucking head off, aren't raining unholy tartarus on me, and im bitching about it why?

I was almost two hundred yards away from her, I could see her and the large buck arguing well it was mostly him that I could see. From down here I couldn't fathom how he hadn't been shot yet? He was huge or she I don't know. Point being, why had nopony taken a pot shot at it? Then one did and I understood why. The heavy round pinged of his helmet and he immediately turned around and magically raised a sniper rifle and fired it twice in the direction on the gunshot, sending one of the rounds straight through the throat of a stalking pony who had emerged from his cover. The shots had penetrated the thick armor of his attacker with ease. Or her attacker I still wasn't sure if that was a mare or a buck. I guess it didn't really matter.

"Hey you! Local! What the Hay are you doing out here?" I heard a familiar female voice inquire.

"umm hi… yeah, I well nevermind then." I stuttered. I guess she's doing just fine on her own.

"come again?" she turned to me and let the large steel pony who was with her handle the fighting for a bit. I bit down on my tongue mentally facehoofing for even thinking I could be of assistance to these steel monsters.

"I came to try and help you…." I uttered weakly

The large steel Pony turned his head to me and I could finally tell he was a buck, from the thunderous echo of his booming voice.

"SO YOU THINK YOU'RE CAPABLE OF HELPING US!? YOU'RE FUCKING JOKING RIGHT?"

Celestia's dripping solar cunts! What was I thinking? I felt like putting my face as far as I could into the dirt. If my coat wasn't black I might be red with embarrassment.

"It's much appreciated little guy" the mare said as she brought up the map screen of a Pipbuck of her own. Shoving her hoof toward me so that I had the screen at eye level she then went on to interrogate me.

"I'm looking for this small town named Appaloosa; we have an important task from one of my elders before we can return to Trottingham." She stared off into the distance. And majestic as her armor was it was even grander against the setting sun.

"Miss…Hey Miss!" I tapped her several times waiting for her to return to reality.

"oh.. yes, yes… im here!" she stammered as she quickly attempted to regain her regal stance and demeanor.

BOOM

In an instant lives were changed as the buck standing next to her exploded into streams of molten flesh and iron, his skeletal outer shell the only thing keeping him alive. His upper half had been torn off his body, and thrown back several yards. The bottom half of his body had remained steadfast and it was leaking blood and viscera.

We dove for cover and the ragged upper half of the steel pony dragged its way to us. slowly and painfully he crawled, until at last expiring inches from us. The explosion had rattled all of us, and the remaining steel ponies began to spread out seeking safety and cover however they could. Another explosion rocked us and I ran to the Mare and shouted.

"There's a cave not far from here its way better cover than being out here in the open!" I said as I ducked a stream of minigun fire.

"Her cannon roared loudly as she switched the fire selector to fully automatic.

"50mm Depleted Uranium IF-51 Auto Cannon! THEY CALL IT THE STORMHOOF!"

She gleefully exclaimed as she engaged targets in S.A.T.S. I could hear the hits register against her steel opponents and I did not want to imagine what it was like to be on the receiving end of that cannon.

"AS FOR THE CAVE, IT'LL ONLY MAKE IT EASIER FOR THEM TO KILL US, SINCE THERES ONLY ONE EXIT AND ONE ENTRANCE, SO ONE WELL PLACED MISSILE DOWN THAT AND WERE COOKED!" She yelled over the cannon fire.

I agreed. And from what my E.F.S. could register we were only up against three of these monsters.

Three's not too bad right?

"WAIT HERE!" I told the steel mare and I doubt she even heard me as I ran to the fallen upper half of the Large mechanical pony. I looked around for his sniper rifle. I spotted it laying ceremoniously covered in his blood. Upon picking it up my Pipbuck registered it as a ".338 LAPEGASI IF-68 Rifle."

According to the Pipbuck it also held 5 shots 2 of which had already been expended. I dug through his remains and eventually came upon an ammo canister for the rifle. "(13) .338 LAPEGASI rounds found"

Ok we were back in business. The rifle was quite heavy and hard to aim. Im surprised by how easily he had handled it. Damn unicorns with their magic.

I hefted it up on his body making the best use of it as I could.

"Im sorry, Pony, but I need this, Luna Save you." I prayed silently

I took a peek through the scope and I could see it all in high resolution, clearly the scope had been sighted recently and the green hue of it picked up shapes easily with what little light we had out.

"Fucking Sweet….." I whispered.

E.F.S. brought up a tick mark, red, to my right about 190 hoofsteps away. I turned my rifle towards it and through the scope I saw another steel pony with two more of them 10 steps or so behind him. So far as I could tell they were alone. And from what that mare's cannon had done I wouldn't be surprised if they were.

I breathed easily, tracking the closest pony with ease. My breath slowed and the rifle steadied out. I bit into the mouth guard and my teeth actuated the trigger. The bullet roared out of the barrel like a Manticore outta Tartarus! Through my scope I saw the bullet find its mark into his head. It disappeared into a fine pink mist and his body dropped dead to the ground. 1 down 2 to go.

The other two flinched and instinctively fired back at whatever direction they could instantly giving away their position to the steel ponies who had been hunting them. It seemed like every explosive in the wasteland came upon them ripping their metal bodies apart.

I slung the rifle over my back, and made my way back to the mare.

She disconnected the steaming white hot cannon from her armor.

After a loud click and a hiss it fell to the ground and burned into the dirt. its barrel seemed twisted and bent.

"The Stormhoof wasn't meant to be fired on auto for that long… so I guess I warped it, from the heat and stuff."

She said sheepishly.

"I see." I lied.

"thanks for the help Earth Pony, you saved our lives. And for that the Applejack's Rangers are Grateful."

"Applejack's Rangers?" I asked stupidly

"We are Steel Rangers who have broken off from the traditionalist point of view our order has held for the last 200 years."

"Steel Rangers?" I asked stupidly

She sighed as she explained.

"We are the remainder of the Ministry of Technology's greatest warriors, the Steel Rangers. We protected the technology of the wasteland for the past two hundred years. The problem is we just hoard it. And while Applejack had originally made these suits of armor to protect us during our service to Equestria, now we believe it's a Goddess given right to wear these and harass whomever we find inconvenient or in possession of the technology we covet."

"ok so you're 200 year old knights who collect techy crap. And never use it? What good is that?"

She put her hooves to her head and slid a latch that made the helmet start hissing. She then put her hooves back to the ground and let the helmet clank to the ground harshly as it hissed again and went silent. She twirled her mane free and let her crimson and white locks swish around in the air. It was so bright against her grey coat.

I saw her large emerald eyes darting from this way to that silently and swiftly sizing up any threats.

"I Am Star Paladin Candy Stripes." She continued, relaxing herself satisfied that no further hostilities or explosions would ensue.

"My name's Midnight." I returned the courtesy

" SteelHooves Brought up a fine storm when he turned from the old doctrines of the elders and decided to help the wasteland with our technology. Even though for the moment Applejack's and Steel Rangers are non- Hostile, any small incident could set off long standing grudges that are already at their boiling point from SteelHooves' receding from the Brotherhood. And those of us who joined him will soon face betrayal just like we did today. It wasn't a matter of if, but more of a matter of when." She calmly explained.

"That's stupid." I commented

"Ayup, now about that cave." She smiled.

"Follow me." I said as I trotted south.

She whistled loudly and the remaining rangers came to her and awaited orders.

"Yes, Star Paladin Stripes?" one boldly inquired

"Gather up our dead and help me bury them before sundown. salvage their equipment and call me when your done. We will hold a memorial in the morning.

"On second thought I'd like you to help me first."

"to bury them?" I asked

"Yes, please." She pleaded. "Then we can go to your cave and rest."

As the sun set over us, and its orange glows faded to light reds, and then cool obsidian the sky was eased with the night's blanket draping over us in its calm silence. The last of the graves was dug. And all the rangers had been stripped of their armor and weapons and buried in their uniforms. They were all buried in separate graves next to each other, without distinction to faction or creed. They had all been brothers Candy Stripes told me, and would be buried as such.

When this was completed they took their loot and headed back with me to the cave.

On our way back to the cave I had begun an interrogation of my own for Candy Stripes

"So I have a question for you, Ms. Stripes."

"Ask away then." She invited.

"Have you ever heard of The Goddess and this Unity crap she preaches?

" why do you ask?" she ventured cautiously

"I was given the elixir I need to save my friends life by an Alicorn, and Dusty says"- I was about to go on when she cut me off with a loud "WHAT!?"

"a Unity Alicorn came to you, and helped you?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah what's so weir"- again interrupted by Candy.

"WHATS SO WEIRD ABOUT THAT?! MIDNIGHT, ALICORNS KILL ANY PONY THAT THE GODDESS DOESN'T WANT TAKEN AWAY TO JOIN UNITY! TELL ME WHY DID THEY SPARE YOU, WHAT DID THE ALICORN SAY?"

Her intensity and anxiety were starting to worry me, what had I just agreed to?

So I told the truth. I told Candy every detail about my conversation with the Alicorn and the goddess. Who were apparently two separate entities but not. With each word her worried frown grew in measure. Until finally I was done and she sat on her flank and thought out loud to herself for a moment.

"A Black Alicorn….. Midnight check your Pipbuck what's your radiation level at?" she more commanded than asked.

I did so and to my surprise found that I had contracted minor radiation poisoning. "What the fuck?"

"What is it?" she asked

"I have minor Rad sickness...but how? I've avoided radiation pretty well so far.

"That was a Super Alicorn, Midnight, the ones who soak up too much radiation become even worse than the normal ones…."

"They soak up radiation? Why?"

"It heals them…" she replied dryly.

"What the hay kind of monsters are they? Were the Princesses able to soak up radiation?"

She nodded her head "No, they were true Alicorns; those things roaming the wasteland aren't like the Princesses, more like twisted mockeries of them. But don't underestimate one. They are very very dangerous.

She warned.

"By the way if you have any RadAway's you might want to take one to avoid getting worse. I hear they taste like orange!" she ventured.

"Yeah I should really get patched u—OH FUCK! I LEFT DUSTY IN THE HOSPITAL ALONE IN THE MEMORY ORB!" I screamed and bolted off to the hospital as fast as my hooves could take me. I left the steel ponies behind me flabbergasted at my reaction and trying to decipher what I meant. Only candy stripes began to trot after me but in her armor I would get there way before she did. I began to close the distance quickly.

I saw the building growing closer and closer and I could see lights within it. Somepony else was in there with him. Fuck.

I burst into the all too familiar reception area and noticed the bodies which I had shot up were gone.

"I don't like the look of this."

The brightly lit rooms around us were a very clear opposite of what they had been this morning, and the smoldering debris and bloodstained walls had been cleaned since I'd been gone. But the blood trails from the bodies were still visible against the white gleaming floor. The blood led back into the waiting rooms. And every odd detail about this place began to make my heart pound in my chest, something was very wrong here. I could hear whispering in the Waiting rooms. And I was unsure if the occupants had heard me enter the clinic or not.

But unlike the inviting reception the waiting room was as dark as ever. The only light from within it was a lamp set up adjacent a body laid out on a bed with tubes and wires sticking out of it. There was equipment monitoring life signs and such next to it. I recognized the arrested body as Dusty. His cowpony hat lay on the floor next to him. Blood was coming out of every tube connected to him. It was slowly pumping away into small sealed containers. Around him shifted shadows that muttered and whispered incomprehensibly.

I kicked open the door with my forehooves. And I stood in the light doing my best to blind the vampires. I readied my Wazer Wifle to incinerate any Fiend that came too close.

The vampires, held their hooves up to their eyes to shield them from the harsh light screeching curses at me and each other wildly flaying around and thrashing about as if the light was actually hurting them.

"QUEEEK! TURN OFF THE LIGHTS! THE LIGHTS! TURN THEM OFFFFFFFF!" one pony cried.

One of them put on a pair of sunglasses and began to wheel Dusty deeper into the hospital. As I ran after him one of them managed to successfully kill the lights and stopped me dead in my hooves. I stood motionless and blind listening to them giggle in the shadows, this was their playing field now.

They shuffled about eerily and quietly I heard them talk amongst soon they began to talk to me.

"Poooony…. We're gonna eat you aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!"

"Gon' Drinks up all Ya Bloooood, kid!"

"Gon' fuck you up!" they all teased angrily. They were furious and hungry.

Fuck…. Fuck! I was in such a bad spot, i quickly went through my inventory in my Pipbuck, there was nothing to help me, not a flashlight nor a lighter, nothing flammable? Their hoof steps grew closer and I could not see where. I had to act.

"S.A.T.S!" I whinnied aloud

Their green outlines were as clear as day as S.A.T.S. illustrated everypony in the room. I slowly counted out their numbers. There were exactly twelve and they had surrounded me almost perfectly… I could not have picked a better situation if I tried. The Wazer Wifle could hit 4 in one charge of S.A.T.S. I wished I could've fired my other rifle. But my foreleg was still too sore even after Dusty's healing. So I took the shots. Four at a time.

"I see you enjoy the Dark…" I said as the first four went down.

"I myself am a fan of the Nocturnal." I continued as I shot down another four. they whispered in confusion as my shots took them down even in the dead darkness of night.

"When the moon does not shine; when it's darkest out." I said as I shot the remaining four missing one by inches. The pony fell to his knees shaking. I could hear him in the darkness and let S.A.T.S. do the work of finding him for me.

I aimed for his head. "at that Hour, it's Midnight."

He disintegrated into a fine glowing dust that littered the floor at my hooves, faintly illuminating the room around me.

I checked the Eyes Forwards Sparkle. Nopony. I was alone. I turned on the nifty little flashlight on my Pipbuck and let it guide me forward, as I bit down on the Wazer Wifle and held it up the Earth pony way. I just hope S.A.T.S. can compensate for the shift in balance, and the fact that I had just illuminated myself to everypony. But I needed to see where I was going.

"I really need to find Dusty." I thought

I couldn't see anything and having to stop and check my Pipbuck every 10 seconds was getting to be very irritating. Time felt slow as if it was water leaking from a crack in the ceiling. I needed to be faster I needed to find a way to get to Dusty.

Just as I had given into despair a flash of light reignited my will. That flash of light had a face, and it was the Helmet of Candy Stripes.

"Let there be Light!" she mock preached. If I wasn't worried for Dusty's life I would've laughed.

"Candy Stripes you came!" I gasped.

"Well, not yet I haven't…" she laughed.

Wait, what did she mean? She was obviously standing here next to me how could she not have been here? I had seen her come in- "OH! That kind of came!" I said aloud and then I dropped my head in embarrassment.

She laughed heartily "ok, let's go find this Dusty Character."

"Excuse me if I loosen up a bit." She voiced over her helmet's speaker "It's just that being in such a position as I'm in, in the Rangers, I feel like there's this crazy pressure to always be calm, confident and stuck up, you know?

I looked up at her astounded. This was a completely different mare than the one I had met outside.

"No not really." I lied. I knew plenty about falling short of expectations.

I fiddled around with my Pipbuck and kept my eyes on the new erratic red dots on my local map.

As we trekked further into the hospital I could see more and more odd details I had missed earlier.

For example how clean some of the rooms were kept. It really made my mane stand on end as each of our hoofsteps were carefully tracked and followed from the shadows, these Freakish ponies scurrying about and hissing at us from the shadows, as we occasionally flashed our lights at them. I couldn't wait to turn some of them to dust.

They began to whisper to each other and disperse. I had a bad feeling about this.

And if ever there had been a trap set up, this had been it.

We reached the end of the ICU hallway we came to an intersection. I couldn't tell which way they had taken Dusty. There was a familiar looking map in front of me and I looked at several spots trying to figure out where they could be keeping him. Trying my best to figure out how to sound out these names for these rooms

"He-mo-the-rapey" I sounded out. Immediately Candy Stripes asked me to say that again.

"He-mo-the-rapy." I repeated annoyed.

"Hemotherapy!" she gasped. She took a moment to catch my confused face.

"It means Blood treatment, Midnight!"

"OH FUCK! That's where he is!" I said as I trotted off in that direction. Candy Stripes hot on my tail.

"How did you know about these assholes and the blood thing?" I asked aloud as we ran, throwing caution to the wind. I could hear screeching and hooting in the background as the Vampire Ponies chased after us.

Candy Stripes yelled back "Blood is a huge commodity here, Midnight; since we have so many ponies bleeding we need blood to put back in them. So when we found out these freaks were sitting on one of the largest collections of Blood and blood substitutes in the wasteland. We had to come and try to get some, at first we tried negotiating, we offered Caps, and we were open to suggestions. But they just demanded Blood. They tied down one of our emissaries, and bled him out alive. And then we decided that enough was enough. So we were given orders to kill them all."

We came to a dead halt as the group that had been waiting for us sprang upon us, coordinating with the group that had been chasing us. We were surrounded no doubt about that.

"Please ponies STOP RUNNING!" one screamed at us. The hate in their eyes, and the madness with which they spoke was beginning to scare me. These things were no longer ponies but Cannibal Corpses, much like the ponies back home.

They had that same longing, empty, furious look in their eyes. As if the only driving force in them was to feed. I prepared to switch into S.A.T.S. when another voice caught my attention and stilled the ravenous animals that lingered around us.

"Wait My Children, Wait, these trespassers seek not our Blood!" a buck voiced, from inside the Room behind the Vampires. The room had a small white sign that read "Hemotherapy & Blood Bank." In bold black letters. Its doors swung softly open, and from within came another corpse. He wore the coat of a doctor. The name tape on the pocket read " MD"

His horn light up the room to a sickly magenta glow with which he wheeled in the stretcher that Dusty was tied into, blood still exiting his body from a plethora of tubes.

"Let's see if we can resolve this amicably, agree?" he ventured. The faintest rasp emitting from his ghoulish vocal cords. He looked all the better for being a ghoul, almost as if the ghoulishness was regressing, he looking more pony than any ghoul I had ever seen, not that I'd seen many though.

"Ok then, what's your Deal, Doctor?" Candy Started.

He put his hoof to his muzzle and began to think to himself rubbing at a long gone beard he might've had once alive.

'"you leave the Country Buck here, so we can use his blood, and we allow you to leave, unharmed."

He continued "My Patients need to feed you see, and im so close to finding the cure, so close."

"That buck leaves with me! No Deal." I said as I bit the Wazer Wifle and turned the doctor into another glowing pile of ash.

Candy Stripes, who despite being in a suit of armor reacted quicker than even I had, and delivered hoof upon hoof to our enemies. Smashing their bodies, and breaking their bones with such speed and force that I dreaded the prospect of her ever turning those hooves on me.

I picked off the occasional stray Vampire pony that climbed her back or took a fancy to trying to kill me off. To my left a large mare swung an axe towards me that I managed to dodge by the hairs on my mane. Literally, that bitch cut a small tuft of my mane off! She lunged around trying to swing the axe back at me. But her balance was off from the first swing so I kicked her legs out from under her with a swift hind kick. She fell to the ground face first I took advantage of her fall to bring my Wazer Wifle into her head again and again. Until I heard a crack and she stopped thrashing about and went still. I could see a nick on what could be considered the barrel of the Wifle, Blood dripping from it steadily.

"Dusty!" I ran into the therapy room and bashed through the swivel doors into a large dimly lit room to find Dusty hooked up to the machines which were draining his life away. He looked up at me drearily he looked pale and tired I was unsure of which machines to disconnect. He whispered words I couldn't quite hear. So I leaned in closer to listen.

"don't turn 'em all off or I'll lose all mah blood. Theres gotta be a reverse switch to gimme all mah blood back, look for it." He said between groans and coughs.

"how do you know?" I asked.

"I don't midnight, but I reckon there oughtta be or I'm bucked!"

Right, look for a switch or a button or something… I don't know what does what. Im no doctor pony. There, there it is! A green and a red button, next to each other over which the words "Blood Transfusion Terminal Access" Were. Ok so green means go right?

"Dusty do you know which of these they pressed to start the drain process?" i panted nervously.

"no, since somepony left me in a goddess damn memory orb and I woke up hooked up to a goddess damn machine draining me of my goddess damn blood!" he shouted. The reading and beeps of the machine whirred to life and Dusty collapsed back into the stretcher. The beeps and alarms going mad! "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK!" I pressed the Green button furiously until it broke off.

"Whoops." I gulped the machines were no closer to silencing. The colors of the tubes sticking out of dusty were not transparent and I couldn't see which way blood was pumping. He began to jerk violently in the bed. The life monitoring machines whining aloud that their host was in danger. What have I done?

Candy Stripes burst into the room at the racket yelling "What the Hay is happening Midnight?" she looked at me then the machines then Dusty.

"Quick, get me an adrenaline shot, He's going into Cardiac arrest, we need to restart his heart so it can keep pumping the blood back to where it goes, before he goes into shock!"

"What the fuck is adrenaline?" I screamed, she pushed me aside and rifled through the nearby cabinets and refrigerators, until she found a small see through syringe and ran to Dusty, the machines all echoed out a steady beat in unison she stabbed him in the heart with the syringe and injected it in.

""Candy, what are you doing?" I yelled as I ran towards her. She screamed at me to stay back as Dusty bounced on the stretcher and gasped for breath as the machines began their irregular beat until they finally beat in unison. Dusty gasped, he was sweating a lot.

"I feel cold." He complained

Candy Stripes threw a blanket over him "Stay warm and sleep it off, let your body re-process your blood."

We let him fall back asleep. And we waited in the room outside, despite the heap of dead and broken bodies that lay before us. I couldn't help but feel guilty over their deaths, after all they lived their life how I had lived mine, who was I to come here and take their way of life from them, I felt like a hypocrite to have done this to have even left home. Why did I deserve any better than those I had left dead, when I had just as much blood on my hooves as they had, I had never felt guilty or sorry for anything we had done. I knew perfectly well what we were, and what we did.

But I can't believe that all of a sudden a mare shows up and I see the light of good and evil. It was too convenient.

I explained this all to Candy Stripes as we waited in the dark hallway by the room as we waited for Dusty to Recover. She seemed lost deep in thought before she answered "I have met many ponies who go raider, but never any raiders turned Vigilante."

"I can't tell what road you walk Midnight. You want to help, I can tell, and you will do Big things for the Wasteland, but why? That's what worries me, that if you don't find your reason, the rock that keeps you anchored in the face of adversity; I worry that when you find whatever it is you are looking for, it won't be what you expected, and you will fall from grace. I worry you will turn into everything you are trying to destroy, I worry you will be not but broken dreams and anger."

"What if I feel that's all I am right now?" I asked her.

"Then quit before you do some real damage to everypony." She popped off her helmet and lay it at her hooves. She looked tired. She laid her head on her hooves and lay to sleep.

"Candy aren't you gonna go back to your rangers?"

She didn't even open her eyes to answer "They'll be fine for a little bit without me, besides what I really want is to take that there criminal into custody."

There's no way she was referring to Dusty, was she? A criminal if anything maybe a pony with some issues ill be the first to admit but I could never see him doing anything serious.

"What's he wanted for?" I had to know I couldn't keep travelling with him and eventually have this catch up with us.

"Sheriff Dusty Winds, is wanted in connection to a double murder in the outskirts of Trottingham during his time there as a Sheriff. Although he has not been charged for said crimes the evidence against him, and his flight from Trottingham after the shooting makes him suspicious beyond measure and with an escape attempt as his defense it's looking bad for him. What a coincidence to have found him here as well. Talk about two birds with one stone."

I couldn't believe it, Dusty a Murderer, and a coward? There's no way. He had come back for me and saved my life.

"Look I know this must sound awful and I can tell your disturbed but please I ask you not to interfere, He Must stand trial and I must bring him back. It's my Duty to do so. I respect Sheriff Winds as much as you must, but no one is Above the Law not even those who uphold it. We are here to serve and protect those who have entrusted us with this power."

"What power?"

"The power to make a difference." She answered. "He had it just as much as you or I, and I am not one to judge him; but two graves lay back home with two bodies he put there. We have to know why."

"What if he is found Guilty?" I asked

She opened her eyes and somberly looked away. "then he will lay next to those he put in the ground."

-Level Up

+1 Perception

+5 Guns

+5 Science

+5 Survival

**5. Friendship**

**_"_**_Together our Friendship is stronger than anything."_

Dusty awoke slowly; he then turned to look around. The nonchalant look on his face was exasperating I was expecting anything but that. He expected this.

His eyes swung from Steel pony to steel pony he then sighed.

"Well, shit."

"Sheriff Winds." Candy commenced

"Dusty, please.. just Dusty, aye aint no sheriff no more." He stopped her.

"Dusty then…" she continued

"Im afraid that our meeting was chance but it's effects are not. I will be taking you into custody Dusty, Im sorry but I must, it's my duty."

He took in her words, and closed his eyes, he thought long and hard and grunted. He then turned to her and said

"Aye knew y'all woud eventually catch up to me, y'all know what happened there imma take with me ta the grave, got that ranger?"

She nodded.

"I see. Then you're under arrest Sheriff Winds in connection to the murder of Deputy Sandy Shores and Mr. Cider, will you comply?" her voice stuttered but the Helmet hid her face well, and she almost looked authoritative.

He laughed heartily and I could tell the rest had done him significant good.

"very well then Candy you caught me, you caught the Winds." He beamed as they hoof cuffed him.

"Dusty what are you doing?" I yelped

"Midnight, ahm sorry but this is as far as we go, little guy."

"if you knew they'd take you why didn't you stop me from meeting them."

"I did, Midnight. I told you to let them finish their fight before I went into the memory orb."

Fuck. This whole time I thought he had been coming on to me, he was trying to avoid this. But wait a minute, he didn't deny it. Dusty was wanted for murder. How could he be a murderer? he had saved my life, healed me even. This was all too quick and I felt my heart plummet as they took my friend away to die.

And I felt it again, that feeling of hate when you fail somepony. I felt the guilt and I felt the regret of the hundreds of possible outcomes that could've come had I just listened to him. I learned something that day when they took him with them. I saw my friend smile to me and say,

"ah don't regret what I've done, Midnight, it's easy for the innocent to speak o'justice, they never really feel it's terrible power."

Candy couldn't hold her tongue any longer "You didn't have to kill them Dusty, you could've turned them in, arrested them, jailed 'em, anything! You cant take the law into your own hooves like that!"

"Why the hay not?" I asked "What is the law? Who makes it?" I asked

"Well, I mean we do…" Candy stuttered

"and why is that? Because YOU have all the guns, and because YOU shoot anyone who disagrees, so YOU don't make the laws, you just kill whoever doesn't agree with you!" I was shouting at her almost at the point of tears, I don't think I was very avid about the philosophical debate on right and wrong, I was more avid about saving Dusty. I hadn't even noticed that in my angst that I had drawn my weapon on Candy, and had it leveled at her head. There were tears in my eyes now, and I think they were more due to my anger than anything else.

"I don't care what Dusty did, he is my friend, and I will not let you drag him away to put a bullet in his head. Let the goddesses Judge him in the Everafter, but if you want to take him THEN YOU WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME!"

She gulped, and softened her stare. Even with a gun to her face she was still calm and collected.

"Go ahead and pull the trigger Friend, but know that if you do then you will die. And he will die, and you will have made no difference in his life or yours. If you really want to make a difference, then prove him innocent. Get a confession, anything you want. He stands trial for his crimes in 10 days."

She leaned in towards my ear and whispered the nest part "Prove him innocent, please."

With that she trotted away with Dusty in shackles and a full guard of Steel monsters behind her.

"I've updated your Pipbuck with the tag for the Steel Rangers encampment in Trottingham. Shouldn't take you more than 4 days travel by hoof. Good luck Midnight.

"thanks for standing up for me kid!" Dusty yelped as they pushed him ahead. He skulked about looking defeated and tired. A husk of his foolish jolly self.

"FUCK!" I cursed "GODDESS FUCK!"

I fell to the ground and began to bawl my eyes out like a newborn foal. I couldn't stop I knew I had led Dusty to his death.

"how does it feel? To have led another Pony to their death? Do you ever tire of your Mistakes?" Sea Foam teased from the shadows.

"FUCK YOU! SEA FOAM SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I burst. I couldn't help him he would die alone.

"Mistakes, you need to get up, and you need to fix what you've broken." Sea Foam said in a different tone of voice.

I got up slowly, she was right I had 10 days to get to Trottingham. I could clear his name, at the least I could put my head to rest.

"I will do it." I stomped my hoof.

The sun set uneventfully behind me off in the distance I heard the whine of engines that I recognized as the Raptors the Enclave flew. They were a couple of miles away and were heading east.

I made my best attempt to subdue the emotions that arose from the memories that arose from that fateful day I had killed Sea Foam. More often than not the nightmares were more and more real. And I awoke covered in sweat and scared. I managed to regurgitate my meals at least twice after a couple of really intense occasions.

I made camp outside New Appaloosa waiting for sunrise before barging into Absolutely Everything to bug Ditzy and collect my Friend. The campfire burned arduously keeping me warm. The starlit night above sparkled intensely and I couldn't help but want Sea Foam back. I picked through Sea Foam's belongings and set out to lose myself in another memory orb. I was almost sure that being right outside the gates to New Appaloosa nopony would attack me. I hoped.

I put out the fire with much difficulty might I add. Slowly fitting the headband in place, before seriously reconsidering my previous choice. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Since I had apparently no idea what sort of fucked up denizens I shared this wasteland with. But I was unsure of exactly what to do. Its not like I have anypony waiting for me in there. Not that Ditzy wasn't nice enough to let me stay again, I just didn't feel like bothering her this late.

"Hey you, buck!" one of the guards hailed me from the gate.

"Huh? Yeah?" I bleakly acknowledged him.

"You're the Stallion that set off for the Fluttershy clinic right? How'd it go?"

I didn't know what to say, I was successful? I guess. Im not entirely sure yeah I set out to get the elixir to save mystery mare but I had now put Dusty on Death row.

"hey where's Dusty?" the other guard butt in.

"i- Well, He's been- taken?" I asked.

"What do you mean taken? Taken by the wasteland? Taken by raiders? Taken by worse? Taken by your flanks?" he laughed.

"Im serious! This isn't funny?"

"yeah ok, kid, here." They said as one handed me an old key.

"that's the key to his Shack, you can wait for him there, that'll give him the shock of his life, one of his little friends actually finding him the morning after!"

Why do I have the feeling im not the only person Dusty's tried to get into his Haystack?

I reluctantly took the key, and strolled in. my hooves cold from the feeling of wrong that rocked my body as I headed towards where the guards had been kind enough to tell me He had lived. Or at least what I could remember from what they had said, I had been in such a daze after they gave me his key. I mean that was his stuff, his home. The life he had made for himself out here that I had so stupidly taken from him.

After about 5 minutes of walking I came upon a cozy and decrepit looking hut on the outskirt of the train station. The front door bore the sign "The Love Shack." The years and elements had not been kind to this poor old dump. But some handy pony had sure put their best work forth into keeping this mockery of a home standing, props to you stubborn pony.

"The Love Shack? Are you Fucking serious Dusty?" I sighed, well no use babbling to myself out here where everypony can hear my crazy, that much I'd like the priviledge of keeping private.

As I violated the sanctity of his home, the scent of my friend hit my nostrils like a jackhammer, and I could barely close the door without the overwhelming guilt clutching me. I was stilled the silence was suffocating me, I had to do something. I don't care if I have to gun down all those rangers. I would free Dusty, and clear his name, if I could, which brought me back to my original train of thought.

"what if he is guilty?" the question lingered heavily on my mind. Would I still break laws and friendships to save him from a hole he put himself in?

I looked around his shack. There wasn't much but a mattress that was half-made, and a drawer right next to it, on which lay a hefty bottle of Wild Pegasus. I decided to help myself to some, to see if it could help clear my mind, or at least get me drunk enough to ignore the screaming in my head.

I lay it back down, satisfied at the warm feeling my head had contracted after a couple of deep swigs from the bottle. My cheeks burned and everything felt nice. I looked through his belongings now blatantly irreverent of personal property or privacy. I tossed aside the many pictures of him and other ponies he was smiling in some, lassoing a pony in another, drinking cider presumably with his friends in another. That was when I came upon the picture that was at odds with all the rest. It was of Dusty all dressed up in a fancy suit (Well about as fancy as a two hundred year wasteland allows for a suit to look.) he stood grasping the Hooves of a cute little mare about half his height. She wore an all white dress and they looked both quite happy. He had a goofy look about his smile looking down at her.

The back of the Photo read "With all my Love, Mrs. Fair Winds."

What the hay had happened to Dusty that he was now a lonely perverted Half Starved Buck, who was wanted for murder. Where had it gone all wrong? My eyes slowly crept along the walls tracing a bright flash I had come across earlier, there amongst the scattered trash and scraps was a belt lined with bullets, on the right there lay a holter with a beautifully emblazoned semi-auto pistol in it. The side of it read "Vengeance" it was a hell of a gun and it felt heavy and vindictive.

" (1) Vengeance .45 Auto Added to Inventory" the hollow green text of the Pipbuck interface flickered across my field of vision.

Oh great more guns to carry around with no ammo to fire them with, I guess now would be a good as ever time to go through my inventory and see what sort of useful gadgets and trinkets I had gathered.

The only news was that my Laser Ammo had begun to dwindle. I had maybe 130 shots left for both guns. The.338 LaPegasi Rifle had 12 rounds and the .45 had about 12 rounds. I guess that should be enough to get me to Trottingham granted I didn't have to use any of it.

Amongst other curiosities I had found in Dusty's Shack was a map of the Wasteland, I helped myself to a bottle of Sparkle Cola that had been left by the bed, while I eyed the map. I couldn't help but silently thank Dusty for the useful hints left on the map scribbled in black faded Ink. "Fuck this Place: Raiders, Great loot!, fresh Water, Steel Ranger Forward outpost Charlie, Creepy Graveyard, Abandoned market, Feral Ghoul nest: Stay the BUCK away!" were some of the more notorious notes left behind by my adventurous friend. I could see now that he had mapped out the surrounding area quite well. I wonder if it was for himself or for somepony else, since this was quite insightful. I quickly brought up my Pipbuck map to see if there was a way to possibly add these notes to my map, but surprisingly it had already done so for me. goddess-damn this little machine was impressive.

The one note that I hadn't noticed was what was written above the Clinic where we had gone to:

"Blood writing on walls: Bad sign, definitely avoid."

Maybe that Buck was smarter than he let on. Tomorrow morning I would head to Trottingham to clear his name or see him pay for his crimes either way I wasn't abandoning this pony.

Now that I had the privacy of Dusty's shack, and the safety of town, I crawled into his bed, and slipped on the Headband along with another memory orb. I let the eerie dropping sensation overcome me as I became somepony else.

I was Sour Note again.

I opened the decrepit hotel door slowly and crept in. I sat in the bed half heartedly as a nervous voice called from the bathroom "I'll be right out! Make your self at home, ok?"

"umm, yeah! Sure." I said

I nervously jolted my head from wall to wall quickly inventorying everything that could be used as a weapon. I checked for exits with a quick sweep of my eyes. This buck sure was paranoid. My host quickly had a vision of a pony covered in blood with a fork through his throat screaming. He shook it away as I mentally grasped for breath at the severity of what his mind had shown me.

"im bucking out." He whispered.

"ready!" the pony who had come out the bathroom informed me. she was a tired looking pale blue pony, with an even paler white-blueish striped mane. It was very well done up, and if it weren't for her heavily done make up or her intoxicating perfume, It would've been difficult to tell she was a Mare of the Night.

Not to take away from the fact that she was genuinely attractive, but mentally I tried not to laugh at the ridiculous hat and cape she wore, as if she were some sort of magician or illusionist.

"I am the GREAT and POWERFUL TRIXIE!" she proclaimed with more than a hint of a bittersweet tone.

My host smiled I could feel it. But he wasn't laughing.

"would you like to see me do some magic tricks?" she asked hesitantly

"yeah, that'd be nice." Sour Note said.

"Re-Really?" she asked stupefied, "oh- oh – okay!" she brightened up as if his agreement had brought back some long burnt away flame within her, a hint of arrogance seeped into her voice as she said

"Behold the Great and Powerful Trixie make this Vase Disappear!"

she pointed her hooves at the vase resting on the counter and her horn glew bright blue, her blue magic enveloping the Vase lazily, and the vase shattered outwards violently, her magic backfiring with a loud retort.

The bits of the vase and the water within hit her and she fell at Sour Note's Hooves. she began to cry histerically.

"I- I cant do ANYTHING RIGHT!" she sobbed uncontrollably

" why!? Why am I such a fuck up?"

She would not stop crying. My host felt lost, unsure of what to do. He did the only thing he could think of doing: he hugged her.

But instead of comforting her it had the opposite effect, as she slapped away his hooves, tearing her hat off propping up her flank to us.

"there you go! Do it! That's what you're here for isn't it?, to Fuck me and get it over with, just do it then and leave me be!"

"uh- I –um-" was all I could manage.

"or what, WHAT IS IT THEN? Are you one of those Bucks who wants to stick it up my ass until I crap myself? call me names? Hit me? WHAT do you WANT?! You want to fuck my face and Shoot that stuff into my eye, laugh at me as I cry, WHAT DO YOU FUCKING WANT FROM ME?"

the tears were smearing her make up as she lay there face down in the carpet weeping. Sour Note pushed her flank aside and she lay on her side gasping for breath. He took a moment to think and finally I heard him say

"I'd like it if you could show me some more magic tricks, if that's ok with you?" he smiled as he said it.

I could see the confusion in the mare's eyes, as she calmed down, slowly she regained her composure and sat up. She readjusted her hat and smiled as she said "sure. I'd love to."

"but that's not what you paid me for…" she reminded him.

"we can do that Later or something, I don't care." He said hesitantly.

"Anyways first I'd like to be astounded by your Magic skills!" we said as my host jumped up and down cheerfully "Please Please Please Please!" he chanted

The Pale mare Smiled genuinely for the first time since we'd seen her. "ok ok fine! The GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE will ASTOUND AND AMAZE YOU WITH HER MAGIC!" and that flair she had let bleed through was at full steam. But it was good. This was really her. And surprisingly the more she tried the better her magic became.

Pretty soon she was tired and lay in the bed happily patting the mattress next to her motioning for him to lay down.

"Thanks for the Show and Powerful Trixie!" I said aloud.

She giggled as she said "that's what you paid for!" then she slipped her hoof down his thigh instantly sending ripples up and down his neck. the hair on his coat on end.

"and this is for being such a devoted fan!" she kissed him and they proceeded to roll around for a while doing what two ponies do in a dimly lit room together alone.

After they were done she lay on top of him. "thanks for being so Gentle, and nice." She whispered.

"its ok it was fun." He replied.

"so what do you do for a living guy?"

"im actually transitioning between jobs right now." He replied sourly

"what do you mean?" she asked

"well ever since this war has gotten so out of hoof, they're trying to round up any pony with any sort of talent up for quote unquote orientation, and unfortunately I'm quite handy with a rifle." He looked over his shoulder as he told her but she seemed to take no notice.

"what did you do before that though?"

"I used to be a musician." He smiled.

"really? I have guitar here! You should show me some songs!"

"the Great and Powerful Sour Note does not just perform for anypony, that'll cost you extra!" he teased her.

"not even for a friend?" she asked as she mustered up the biggest sad eyes she could.

"im- im your friend?" he asked more surprised than anything.

"well of course you are. You made sure I was okay, you took care of me, and you helped me be happy if only for at least a little bit, you brought back a part of my life I never thought I'd regain. Who knows maybe I'll set out and try to make it out there again. Legitimately."

"I did all that for you? Im glad that you feel that way."

"maybe that cunt was right, maybe friendship is magic…." She whispered.

"huh?" we asked

"oh, nothing." She smiled "you want to go out and get something to snack on?" she asked

"Buck Yeah! Im starving" I said.

Right then The phone rang and she quizzically answered it. her eyes darted back and forth nervously the longer she was on the phone.

"yeah, but-but- no, I didn't- No! You can't! no… wait." Her voice trailed off that gloomy tone had returned to her voice as she looked over at us. "promise we'll still be friends?" there were tears in her eyes again.

"yeah, of course, why?"

"its for you."

And as Sour Note took the phone the memory ended.

"What the hay?" I asked at the empty room I had sat in. the more and more involved I became in this pony's life the less of it I understood. So he was friendly to hookers? Big deal. What I was more worried about was that phone call. The look on that hooker pony's face as she answered was shocking as if she had gotten a call from the goddesses themselves. I didn't envy her that. But why had the memory ended at the phone call, you think anypony with half a brain would skip all the childish crap and get straight to the phone call. What was he doing visiting prostitutes anyway? Wasn't he with that Grapes mare? Well he had just said he was new to the military and from the tension between them they had known each other for a while, im certain this memory was from before his service with Princess Luna.

Well I guess right about now that "important figures of Equestria" book wasn't a total waste of my time. Fuck you War Seed, telling me reading was for pussy ponies. Im a smart pony! Yeah!... no, not really.

Through the window I could see the first rays of daylight pouring through the panes. The room had a different disposition in the daylight it was homely but comfortable, inviting even. A really nice place to call home, it had sufficient amenities for one pony. One soon to be dead pony if I didn't get my rear in gear soon.

I took what I needed and got my ass out the door, with one final pause I turned to Dusty's bed and uttered my farewell.

"Not on my Watch!"

I trotted up to Absolutely Everything and knocked loudly.

Silver Bell greeted me warmly if half asleep but still warmly. "Do ya gots it?" she begged

I smiled as I opened my saddlebag and showed her the elixir "of course I do."

She guided me to Mystery Mare's Room and I laid the elixir at her hooves.

"Where's Ditzy Doo?" I asked Silver Bell hoping she wouldn't be the doctor in charge of Mystery Mare today. She shrugged and rolled her eyes.

"Can you administer the Elixir to her, Silver Bell?" I couldn't wait I needed to know if she'd be ok, what she would need to pull through. If I could help but all Silver Bell did was nod in acknowledgement and pop open the cap of the elixir.

"Hold her head level, Mr. Midnight, when I start pouring down the Elixir im going to need you to tilt her head so she can swallow it, since shes not really awake, ok?"

I nodded that I understood and we began. Not until the last drop was down did she motion me to lay down Mystery Mare's head. It was a tense few minutes before her heavy breathing steadied out. And finally with a cough and a hack, she awoke.

"WHOA! Where the Bu-"

She looked around confused. She looked at me, then Silver Bell, then at me once more.

"im alive." She noted.

"yeah, you are quite alive, and unbroken might I add." I snarked.

She hit me with a hoof upside the head. "let's keep it that way colt." I rubbed my head softly.

"I guess we survived the attack, then?" she asked

"Ayup, a kind pegasi happened to be flying over and brought us here and she was even nice enough to patch us up, of course your injuries were so bad we had to find you an Elixir to heal them." I explained.

"well fuck me with a tuba sideways, aint that something. How much do you owe her?" she asked.

I gulped and looked down at Silver Bell. "good Question." I continued.

"how much Do we owe y'all amazing mares?" I asked. She shrugged her shoulders and told me to ask Ditzy and she happily trotted off to make herself some breakfast.

Ditzy trotted in afterwards she jumped over to ecstatically hug Mystery Mare who twitched in agony as she looked Ditzy over and did her best to not panic at the ghoul pony's over eager introduction.

I laughed at her before I explained who and what Ditzy was, and how much we were in her debt.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it, im just glad to help!" she wrote on her chalkboard.

"theres gotta be something we can do to repay you Ditzy?" I asked

"yeah, I owe you my life, let me thank you properly at least." Mystery Mare asked.

Ditzy plopped herself down to the floor and stared off into the distance her brain hard at work. Im guessing she had lots of odd jobs she actually needed done. This was going to be good.

"There's a camp about 15 miles up north that keeps taking pot shots"

"At my caravan when I fly up that way, id appreciate it, if"

"you could ask them to stop."

"I would prefer it if you could do it without hurting them." She finished writing on her chalk board.

"yeah I'll look into it, but I cant make any promises." I told her as honestly as possible.

"Thank you. And be safe." She scribbled.

Level up

+5 speech

+5 medicine

+1 survival

New Perk Added: Mare Killer

In combat you do an additional 10% damage to female opponents. Unique dialogue skills with the opposite sex are now available.

Karma Gained.

New title: Wasteland Problem Solver

**6. The Pony In Black**

_"Listen close my little dears, I'll tell you where you got your fears."_

"well fuck it then, we gotta go rescue that fool." Mystery mare agreed.

"im glad you don't mind." I told her

"oh I mind, I mind a lot but seeing as im probably among the dead back home, I'd be shot on sight if I were to return and im stuck in this wasteland alone with no money and the only pony worth a damn already tried to kill me once, I might as well go rescue some gay cowpony halfway across the world."

Well fuck you then mystery mare. That's the last time I try and be optimistic with you.

About an hour into our travel towards Trottingham we noticed something rather odd.

It was really fucking boring in the wasteland.

"hey- um- mys- um fuck how do I put this…" I started

"what?"

"whats your name?" I asked embarrassed.

She stopped dead in her tracks. "you don't know my fucking name?"

"You never told me!" I snapped

"You never bothered asking before!" she snapped back.

"wait a minute what have you been calling me until now, then?"

I dropped my gaze to my hooves trying to pretend I didn't hear her.

"oh no, Midnight, you heard me I know you did, tell me, what the hay have you been calling me until now?" she demanded.

"Mystery mare…" I whispered.

"whats that? I couldn't hear you."

I looked around, hoping somepony might start shootin at us, or a giant rad scorpion might come outta nowhere and try to sting us to death. Anything to break the awkward embarrassing conversation

i had just dropped on myself. But nothing came.

"I called you Mystery mare until now." I told her

She fell on her side laughing. "Mystery Mare?" she wheezed, "you called me mystery mare?"

"well yeah whar was I supposed to call you? What do I call you now for that matter?"

She pondered for a moment before retorting. "keep calling me mystery mare!"

"you're joking right?"

She nodded her head from side to side vigorously. Guess not.

So then how'd you happen upon this Dusty character and how did you get caught up in a murder case?

"im not entirely sure of that last part, but he helped me find the elixir to heal you, sort of…"

"how do you sort of help someone find something?"

"he's not the one who found it, an Alicorn gave it to us."

She froze in her tracks "run that by me again?"

"umm an Alicorn gave us the elixir?"

"yeah that what I was afraid you said, you just became infinitely more interesting little guy, you and the oddball collection of friendships and alliances you seem to trot upon."

I tracked along the broken patches of road we happened to be following. We had already been traveling for half a day following this odd grave of vehicles and skeletons. At least there was no blood or decaying bodies, so this area was relatively safe. I felt sorry for them, the ponies who had died back then. There must have been dozens of them here, ponies who had been on their way to somewhere busy or leisurely it didn't really matter when the bombs fell. The sun was beginning to set and I felt an eerie similarity to these skeletons, uncertain and afraid, of what would come with the next sunset. I began to feel an odd and distinct ache for these skeletons a sort of regret and hurt on their behalf I felt I had been wrong by seeing them here I felt as if they had been wronged being collateral to a war they had probably played no role in instigating. And I felt more offended that two hundred years later we had become no better than them still killing each other over the most trivial of matters, we had learned nothing from our near extinction.

We took refuge in an overturned Sparkle cola truck that was half empty, or half full, I guess its up to everypony to make their own call on that one. The decrepit truck was a lot larger than it looked ans we fit comfortably enough to lay down and get some sleep, if hopefully we could avoid the lingering smell of old Sparkle cola and rust that seeped from the entirety of the truck… Although I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that we were being followed in fact I suspected as much since about an hour ago. But it wasn't until we had stopped that I noticed they had been moving. I couldn't too well see them but I caught glimpses of them every now and them. They were small and moved quick. I shut the doors of the truck quietly hoping they would pass us by without looking too hard.

Mystery mare awoke to the sound of their howling. Her eyes darting from side to side as she mouthed the words "What. Is. That?" I silently shook my head. She slowly reached for her lazer rifle. And I readied my own. Outside I could hear the claws of small four legged creatures quickly scrape the pavement as the pack began to ransack nearby vehicles for clues as to our location. I was grateful for the smell inside the truck now. They barked and hissed at every other vehicle. Until they finally came upon ours. They began to rap at the heavy iron door, that offered no entrance into our little howled and barked at it. Until finally a fight broke out and they rolled away from us to fight amongst themselves.

For an hour they fought and barked and searched until finally they began to leave. I could see the exhaustion in mystery mare's eyes as they left and she lay back down to sleep. Her head had just rest on her forehooves when a gunshot rang outside and pinged off one of our adjacent vehicles. The pack of things quickly and furiously ran off to avoid more gunfire I could now hear pony voices approaching.

"oh goddess damnit now what!?" mystery mare hissed.

SHHH! I spat trying to get her to quiet down so I could hear what they were talking about out there.

"Hey Sandscape see if you can get this damn truck door open and see what those damn Nightstalkers were after."

The outside ponies began hammering away at the hinges of the door. Mystery mare did not like it one bit, and my Pipbuck was not bringing up any tick marks outside the truck for some reason so I was blind as far as their intentions went.

"listen I don't know what to do, were not gonna blast them as soon as they open this door, but im not gonna let them come in here and shoot us up either."

Mystery mare kept suggesting we just hose them down with lazer fire and hopefully they turn tail and run. But so far everything I've shot at shoots back.

"guns up. If I shoot, then you shoot, ok?"

Mystery Mare nodded.

The door creaked slowly and I saw a hoof poke through it.

"Anypony there?" I heard him ask as he ventured in.

"im coming in, don't shoot!" he announced.

"Stop right there!" I commanded as I drew closer to him. Gun in hoof.

"what do you want with us?" I asked.

"Just a couple of lover ponies in here, put yer guns away!" he turned back to us and smiled.

"I'm Money Bags Pleased to meet cha!" he said. "Caps is mah name, Salvage is mah game!"

"I see…" I said.

"Im Midnight and this is…."

"Flare Wing" Mystery Mare said.

"Flare Wing!" I echoed. She looked over at me and motioned me to shut my trap.

Got it.

"Anyways, I guess we should thank you for scarin off those things."

"oh them? Yeah Nightstalkers aint something pretty, id keep a look out now that they caught yer scent. Though they aint the worst thing out here.


End file.
